All's Fair in Love and War
by PunkCosmopolitan
Summary: By Jamie Kay Hunnt:   CHLEREK. As they plot to take down the Edison Group, relationships bloom and some grow distant, along with unforseen happenings.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! This is my first FanFic ever. I want at least 3 reviews(I'm going easy on you all because I am a nice person) before I update with chapter 2. Oh, I'm having a little contest type thing. The first 5 people to review will get an extra story. I hope you like it! ~Macaela/Jamie And special thanks to Death Priestess for being an awesome friend and helping me out with the title!**

**Disclaimer: Me: * looks up from computer * Hey, Derek!**

**Derek: * walks into room, grunts, and sits on couch next to me ***

**Me: So what's up**

**Derek: Nothing**

**Me: Oh really?**

**Derek: yeah**

**Me: * nods head ***

**Derek: Who are you talking to?**

**Me: My cuz, Alissa**

**Derek: Oh, tell her I said hi.**

**Me: Okay * types to Alissa 'Derek says hi' ***

**Derek: Did you tell her that you don't own the Darkest Powers and that Kelley Armstrong does?**

**Me: * lip trembles * Derek? Why do you have to bring my mood down? * runs out of room crying ***

**Derek: What'd I do?**

**Me: *looks in the living room and sets icy glare at Derek***

**Derek: What? I was just telling you that you don't own it and you shouldn't let people on that you own it.**

**Me: But I want to own the Darkest Powers. * breaks into tears ***

**Derek: Ugg… * types to Alissa 'Did Macaela tell you that she doesn't own the Darkest Powers, me, or any other characters she uses in her fan fiction? Derek.' ***

**Me: Fine I'll tell her… * types- 'I don't own the Darkest Powers Series, Kelley Armstrong does.' ***

**Derek: Thank you.**

_**All's Fair in Love and War**_

"Derek!" I yelled as I saw him running away from something. He glanced back the way he came. I followed his gaze and saw Simon. "Simon, what happened?" I asked. I wanted to ask if he was all right but stopped myself before he answered, "Derek attacked Tori." I then noticed Simon was leaning over her, fingers at her neck checking for a pulse. "Go get Andrew and your dad, they'll know what to do. I'll go after Derek. What made him mad?" I said in a rush, the worry slipping through the monotone voice.

"Tori first snuck up on him and when he jumped she started calling him a wimp. He may jump at times but it is extremely rare for Derek. That is what set him off, Tori calling him a wimp. I'll get Andrew and Dad, go get Derek. And Chloe, be careful, be very careful." "I will, Simon."

I was running at top speed to catch up to Derek. When Derek noticed I followed he picked up speed. "Derek, stop. Tori's okay. No broken bones, no bleeding, just unconscious. I know why you're running and you just can't run anymore." Did I really know why he was running? Of course, I did. He was running away from his fear of hurting anyone. He still didn't stop. I tried to reason with him again. "Derek, you won't get in trouble. Nobody will hurt you," I spoke slowly and carefully. He finally started to slow. As we got closer, he started to speak. "Chloe, I have to go. I can't keep hurting people anymore. Don't even tell me that nothing will happen if I go back. Andrew will convince Dad that I need to be put down like the other boys 11 years ago. Dad won't do it, but Andrew will. He will eventually get Dad to agree," his voice was heavy, like he was crying. Derek never cried, never. "Derek, don't do this. Please. Simon, your dad, and I won't let that happen. Derek, please, come back with me." I knew he heard the plea for him to come back, but by the set of his shoulders I could tell he wasn't sure. "Derek, please—" He cut me off. "Chloe, I can't. If I know Andrew, he is the one who will get his way." Derek's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. I started toward him; I hadn't even realized that we had stopped. Derek stayed where he was. When I reached him, I put my arms around him. He still didn't move. "Derek, please come back—" I stopped short. His arms where wrapped around me. I looked up, his face was expressionless. "Derek—" he looked down and a smile played at the corner of his lips. I started to pull away, but he pulled me back against his chest. "Are you coming?" I finally asked after few minutes.

"Yeah. I guess."

"Come on then." I pulled away and started walking.

Was I imagining it or did Derek take my hand as we walked. I don't know, but we walked quiet and side by side. We were almost to the safe-house when I broke the silence. "Derek? Are you all right?"

"No, not really. I'm worried about Tori, even though I don't like her, I'm worried," he spoke. He really did sound worried. "Well she'll be okay. Don't worry," I said, my tone soothing. "She'll be okay," I said again. "It's just like the kid in Albany. And also with the girl in the alley," he sounded scared. "But that didn't happen with Tori. And I stopped you before you hurt the girl in the alley," I said as we got to the house. As we entered the back door, I hoped that that made him feel somewhat better.

I entered the door first, Derek after me. As we entered I saw Simon staring at something. I didn't care what he was staring at; all I cared about was what the verdict was. "Simon, how's Tori?" I didn't realized that the words where coming from Derek until he finished saying them. "She's fine. It'll be okay. She is lying in the girls' room right now. She didn't get hurt," Simon said, a little bit of worry edging his tone. Just as Simon started to walk over to us from where he was standing, Kit walked in. "Simon, why don't you take Chloe and find her something to eat? I'm sure she should be hungry by now," Kit spoke softly. "Sure, uh, what about Derek?" Simon spoke like he wasn't sure what he should do now. "I'm going to talk to Derek for a bit. He'll be in there in a little while," Kit said, turning away from us, motioning for Derek to take a seat.

"Come on, Chloe. Let's go get you something to eat. You've got to be hungry after two hours of looking for Derek," Simon spoke only loud enough for me (and Derek with his werewolf hearing) to hear. As we walked out of the room into the kitchen I asked Simon how it could have been two hours. "You were gone two hours in the woods looking for Derek, weren't you?" he asked slowly. "It only took me a few minutes to catch up with him, Simon. It must have been a really long time while I was talking him into coming back," my voice was soft, light. I started to hear voices coming from the next room, and I could make them out as Kit and Derek. Just as Simon started to speak, I shushed him, "Quiet, Simon. I am going to listen in."

"But why—."

"Shhh," he finally shut up and walked over to the door to hear better.

"Derek, I know your worried, but Victoria will be just fine. She is coming around. No damage was done," Kit said trying to make Derek feel better. "Dad, I know that, but I just can't stand it. It is like the time in Albany when I broke that guy's back. I just can't keep hurting people," Derek's voice was filled with sobs. Was he crying. He couldn't be. Derek never cried, did he? "Son, I know you are scared. I know this is like the time in Albany, but nothing happened this time. It will all be fine," Kit talked to Derek like he would with Simon. He truly thought Derek was his birth-son. "Poor Derek," I spoke softly, hoping it was low enough to where Derek wouldn't hear me. Kit spoke further, "Derek, come on, it's all right." "I know that. It is just this time it was someone who wasn't putting me or someone I cared about in danger. All Tori did was just call me a wimp. It just set me off," Derek said between sobs. "Derek, just calm down. Here, let's talk about something else," Kit said. It seemed the sobs had stopped. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?" Derek spoke his voice heavy like before when I though he was crying. "Well, Andrew told me about some stuff about Chloe. What are your thoughts about her?" Kit was talking about me? What is up with that? Derek started to speak, "Well, I don't see how I can answer that very well. What did Andrew tell you?" "Okay, avoiding my question. Andrew told me he has caught you and Chloe alone together a few times. He told me you seem very much attached to her. Is that true?" Gosh Kit was really pushing Derek to talk about me. "Well, Andrew is right. He has caught Chloe and I together on several occasions. I really care about her. She is one of the nicest girls I have ever met. I like her a lot and I think she might like me back, but I'm not sure. It seems she is leaning towards Simon. I don't really care if she picks Simon over me. All I care about is if she is happy. If she chooses Simon I won't care. If she chooses me, well, I don't know how I'll feel. Happy, stoked. I have no clue," Derek's words came fast and I wasn't even certain I heard all of them.

After those words were spoken I had to leave the room. I ran up the stairs to the one bathroom. As I was about to open the door, Simon stepped out. "Chloe? What's wrong? Huh, why are you crying?" Simon seemed worried. Was I actually crying? I guess I was if Simon was asking me why I was. "Nothing," I mumbled and brushed past him into the bathroom.

I sat there for a few minutes crying tears of both sadness and joy. I was sad because now I had to choose a guy, happy because Derek actually liked me. I couldn't believe it. Derek always seemed like he cared and trusted me, but he never said anything about having feelings for me. And what about Simon? Simon has been there for me too, and we seemed to be heading in the direction of a relationship. And then Derek was saying that he would let Simon have me as long as I was happy, that just made me cry more. I sat there until I heard a knock on the door, "Chloe, Simon said you're in here," it was Derek's voice behind the door. "I need you to come out." I started walking toward the door. When I was about a foot away I stopped and asked, "Are you Changing?" "What? No, not for a while. I was wondering if you would talk to me. I know you listened in on my talk with Dad. I heard you run from the kitchen door. Please come out, Chloe," he spoke softly. That was different for Derek, the please was also weird.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, Guys. Thanks for all the advice and for reviewing. Here is chapter 2. Oh, a special shout out to Death Priestess and ..Abuse I still have one more reviewer to receive the extra one-shot story.**

**~Macaela/Jamie**

**Disclaimer: Not mine so if you want it, go bug Kelley Armstrong because she owns it.**

I finally decided to come out of hiding. I opened the door a little bit only to see Derek was in his shorts, again and a t-shirt. "Chloe, are you going to talk to me or just ignore everything I say?" His voice was a little more severe.

"I'm going to listen," I barely spoke the words, but I knew he heard them. "Come on then. I don't want Simon to know about this. He is already in bed, but he seems real restless," Derek was talking quietly again.

"Derek—," my voice slipped from me when I noticed where we were going, the roof. "Why are we going to the roof, Derek?" I asked my voice having a little quaver.

"It is the most unexpected place after what happened here with that jerk, that's why," he was a little more uneasy now. I couldn't place it but I was beginning to think something happened.

We reached the roof a minute later, and Derek led me to the spot where we sat almost 3 weeks ago. Everything had gone so fast. We found Kit, now we have to find Aunt Lauren and Rae. I trailed from my thoughts when Derek started calling me over to him. I hadn't even taken time to think where I was going. I stopped and of course I had walked onto the rotting widow's walk again. "Sorry, Derek. Here toss me your shirt so I can pull myself back in," my voice was a pleading whisper. Even though I had done a stupid thing I didn't get yelled at. All I got from Derek was an annoyed sigh and him throwing the end of his shirt to me.

When I had gotten myself back onto the safe part of the roof, I sat myself down next to Derek who had already been sitting. "So, what did you want to talk about?" My curiosity was running wild now.

"Well, I know you were listening in on my conversation with Dad. And I you heard most of it. And I also heard you say 'Poor Derek' while you were listening. And I heard you run off right after Dad asked about what I thought about you and I answered," he gave a slight chuckle at the end, a nervous chuckle at that.

"Yeah, and…" I pressed.

He glanced over at me. "And I want to know your opinion on what you heard," his words came quickly, like he didn't want to say them.

"Derek, I don't know what exactly to say, but… I guess I like you, too. I like Simon also, but not enough for anything long term. Derek, I really hope that you don't want a different answer to where you won't have to upset Simon," I looked over at him. His eyes were glowing again. Where they feverish or was their normal glow. It had to be at least midnight. "Derek? Derek?" I spoke, waving my hand in front of his face. His gaze was locked on something I couldn't see.

Then I started to get worried. "Derek, what's going on?" My voice was full of worry and that seemed to snap him out of it. "Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"What just happened a second ago? You spaced out or something."

"Nothing, Chloe. Just a little bit of shock. I don't know from what though."

"You are sure you aren't Changing, right? 'Cause if you are then we should go into the woods for that. I don't think it would be such a good idea if you Changed on the roof." my voice was creeping from worry to panic.

"No, no. It's just your answer kind of shocked me. You have no idea how happy that made me feel."

"You don't look happy." I said, trying to lighten the mood. My attempt really didn't help much.

"Well, I am. You tired? Come on let's go down."

I agreed just for the heck of it. As I followed Derek back down stairs, I started to hear the crying from a few weeks ago. This was the first time in a while and I wanted to check it out. "Derek, come with me," I said softly, so that no one except him would hear.

"Why?" he asked.

"Remember a couple of weeks ago when I came looking for you and I told you I had another encounter with a ghost?" My words started sounding anxious.

"Yeah, why though?" He asked.

"I heard crying that night and I hear it again now. If the crying is playing then the residual that happened in the bedroom should be playing again, now follow me." I started walking toward mine and Tori's room. As I opened the door the first thing I notice was the puddle of blood was on the floor again and the crying was louder here. Opening the door all the way, I led Derek in.

"Derek? I need to open the closet doors for me. Can you do that for me?" I was nearly to the spot of blood when I heard a command from Derek to stay away from Tori. "Derek, just open the closet doors. The crying is louder over there. I need to check out this residual. And I'm not getting any closer than here." I glanced back and saw Derek opening the second and last closet in the room. Nothing in the first one, except for the clothes Tori recently bought. I looked at the second one now that Derek had finally moved out of the way and I could see inside. "Uh, Derek?" I said, fearfully.

"Yeah?"

"Come here," was all I could get out, my voice barely even a murmur.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, Guys. I have a new chapter for you. You will find out what was in the closet today. Special thanks to not-so-innocent011 for being the first reviewer on the last chapter. Hope you like it.**

**~Macaela/Jamie**

**Disclaimer: Aww… The rights to ****Kelley Armstrong's ****Darkest Powers Series aren't for sale. So if you want them for sale, go bug her.**

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just that, well… I think I see something in the closet. I want you to check it out with me. It is hardly noticeable, but there."

"Okay. Let's go." He spoke like there was nothing better to do. I guess for him there wasn't.

I placed my hand in his and we walked over to my closet. As I go closer I notice what looked like a girl's form in there. She was sitting with her knees up, arms wrapped around them. It looked like Liz. Liz wouldn't hide in a closet unless there was something or someone blocking her from entering anywhere other than the closet. I decided to try and talk to her "Liz?"

"Liz? Why are you calling Liz? And there isn't anything in the closet, unless there is a ghost." Derek spoke with heavy worry that was probably for me, but I'm not sure.

"Yes, there is a ghost in the closest, Derek. It looks like Liz, though I won't be able to tell until I get closer. And that is also where the crying is coming from," did Derek just flinch, or am I imagining it. He couldn't have unless I let venom slip into my voice. "Sorry, Derek."

"Hm? Oh, that didn't bother me. Just that you said it looks like Liz and that it is crying, that caught me off guard," he seemed like he wasn't hurt but Derek was good at controlling his emotions unless he had to.

We walked to the closet and I looked in. There, where the ghost girl was sitting, was a woman about 28 with long strawberry blond hair. She had blue eyes and immediately recognized her as the ghost from the night we got to Andrew's. It hit me suddenly. She looked like me, only older. Mom.

My face must have shown a look of horror or something because Derek was looking straight at me. "Derek, I know who it is and it isn't Liz." "Who is it then?" That caught the ghost's attention. "My mom." All of a sudden Derek and I weren't holding hands. His arms were wrapped around me, my head against his chest, his hands stroking my hair. Where the sobs louder now? No. The sobs where coming from me now. I hadn't realized that the crying had stopped because I was crying now. "Chloe, baby. It's okay." I heard Mom's voice say those words not Derek. I glanced over to the one side and there stood Mom's ghost. "Chloe, it's okay. You're going to be all right. You will be fine, baby," Mom's voice had a soft and soothing tone to it. I saw her smiling, like she thought it would help calm me down.

"Chloe?" Derek asked as my crying subsided. That was the first time Derek spoke for maybe an hour of me crying. I looked up, to see him looking down at me. "Chloe, is your mom still here?" I looked to where she had been standing before. She was still there, waiting for my waterfall of tears to end. I nodded. My mom started to speak again only to be interrupted by Derek. "Ask her why she is here, if she was the one trying to make contact with you when you tried contacting your aunt." I didn't even have to ask for she answered Derek herself. "I am here because I need to protect Chloe. And yes, I was the one who was warning her when she tried contacting Lauren, who is very much alive." Those words where directed toward Derek and since he couldn't hear them I told him what she was saying. Then she turned to me. "Chloe, baby, I know your upset. Come on down to the living area in this house so we won't wake your other friend while we talk." "What is she saying?" asked Derek, seeming annoyed. "She wants us to go downstairs so we can talk in private without waking the others," I told him. All I heard was a grunt and then I notice that he was leading us out of the room, one arm over my shoulders, his other hand holding mine.

When we made it downstairs we walked to the living room. Mom sat down in the armchair and Derek and I sat on the loveseat. I began to ask questions. "M-Mom, what happened when you died? I was always told you were killed in a hit-and-run accident, but now I'm not so sure with everything that has happened," I spoke slowly to try and keep my voice steady so I wouldn't worry Derek, but did anyway. He pulled me into a comforting hug and sat there rubbing my back until he was sure I wouldn't cry. During that time Mom answered. "Chloe, I didn't die in a hit-and-run accident. You're father wasn't with me when I was murdered. He was in Berlin at the time. He flew back as soon as he learned that I was dead. You never knew about your powers then and Lauren never told you because she just gave up hope after I died. Chloe, baby, the Edison Group killed me. They did the same thing that happened to Liz, Brady, and Amber."

I cut her short, "Mom? Do you know where Liz is? I need to speak to her."

"No, I don't. I could look for her if you want me to. Just let me tell you what is wrong with this place, okay, baby?"

"Okay."

**Ooh, cliff-hanger. I will update tomorrow at the earliest. I have chapter 4-6 done, but I have to edit them. Read and Review, please. Pretty please. You know you want to. LOL. I'm random.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Heyyyyyyyyy, I'm back with a whole new chapter!!!!!!!!!!! This is my longest chapter. It is like 5 pages long and over 2000 words on Microsoft Works Word Processor. The first 5 people who reviewed, I don't have to one-shot done, yet, but it is almost done. I will get it to you eventually, so don't worry. I want to have my reviews up to 20 before I give you Chapter 5.**

**Disclaimer: *Setting: In my living room last night at about 4:00A.M. I was still awake. This is a true story. My subconscious is super crazy and I hallucinate the characters sometimes. True story.**

**Me: *talking to Death Priestess on FaceBook* Hey, What's up?**

**Death Priestess: Hi, nothing really.**

**Me and Death Priestess: *talking back and forth then***

**Me: *logs off***

**Simon: *Walks into room and sits on footstool* Hey, what are doing?**

**Me: Go away, Simon.**

**Simon: Why?**

**Me: Because I don't want you here.**

**Simon: Well, I'm not leaving with out you admitting it.**

**Me: What do I need to admit?**

**Simon: That you don't own the Darkest Powers, Kelley Armstrong does.**

**Me: Fine. I don't own Darkest Powers, Kelley Armstrong does. Now get out of here.**

**Simon: *glares and walks out of room***

**Me: Well, that was off. *smacks head***

"Chloe, this place is run by ex-Edison Group employees. I'm sure you knew that by now, but one of them still works for the Edison Group. The guy named Russell. He said he doesn't believe your story because he works for them. Now he isn't so bad, because all he does for them is treat the hurt ones at the laboratory."

After hearing those words, my eyes started to leak tears and Derek wrapped his arms around me again, asking what was wrong. I started to tell him what Mom just said. "The jerk from the first night here was right. We have been led into a trap. Russell still works for the Edison Group. We have to get out of here. We will have to leave you, Simon, Tori, your dad, and me. We can't be here any longer."

Derek just pulled me onto his lap and held me there for a minute. When Mom asked if she should go looking for Liz, I nodded so weakly it was like I didn't even move.

Derek started to speak. "Chloe, we don't have to leave again. Andrew won't believe us but my dad will. If we have to leave we will. When Dad gets up we will consult with him. Now come on, let's get you in bed before anyone notices you haven't been there."

"Okay. Carry me, please?" was all I said.

"Will do," he said as he lifted me up into his arms to carry me upstairs. By time he had gotten to the bottom of the stairs, I was asleep.

The next morning Tori woke me. "Rise and shine, sleepy head!" she said all perky. Did she get hit too hard or did she notice I had been crying? What did I care. "Come on, breakfast is here."

I propped myself up on my elbows as she walked out the room. All of a sudden I felt like I was being watched. I started calling out names of people who might be in here with me. "Derek?… Simon?… Mom?… Liz?…" When I said Liz a figure stepped out of the corner of the room. It was a ghost, of course. As I looked at it, I realized who I was looking at. She had long golden blond hair, blue eyes, and was dressed in a Minnie Mouse nightshirt with grey socks that had purple and orange giraffes on them. "Liz!" I squealed with joy.

"Chloe, I thought I would never find you. You left Buffalo and then I was searching all over and then your mom came and told me where you where. Oh, and she said she will be back tonight when everyone is asleep and she will talk to you then. And she also asked who you were with last night. I asked for a description and she described Derek, so I told her that is who was with you," she said everything in a rush, she was so happy.

I would have hugged her but I don't think I would be able to hug a ghost. "Come on over and sit on the bed with me," I told Liz and she ran right over to me. As she sat down I heard Simon yell my name, then Tori squealing "Did she say Liz?" After that I heard footsteps and apparently Liz did too because she was looking toward the door. When Tori barged into our room, I gave a quick hi. All she did was look around to see nothing. "Tori, what are you looking for?" I asked, my voice sounding innocent.

"You know who I'm looking for, I'm looking for Liz," the way she said it made me think she was in a bad mood again. "Don't just sit there, is she here?"

"Yes, Tori, she is sitting right next to me."

That seemed to perk her up. "Hi, Liz!"

"Hey, Tori," Liz said obviously not wanting to talk to her. I told Tori what Liz said. After a quick little chat, with me speaking for Liz, Tori said good bye. Finally, now I can talk to Liz in private.

That didn't last super long. I asked what she thought about the black hair and as she laughed about it, Simon popped his head in to say hello. He took the spot next to me that I told him wasn't occupied. As he sat there he took my hand in his. Liz just stared down at our hands, eyes wide. "Chloe! What are you doing?! From what your mom said last night it seemed like you were with Derek!" Liz's voice was frantic, like it was when they had shipped her from the Lyle House to be supposedly transferred, which turned out they sent her to be murdered.

"Hey, Liz. Could you look around for us? Search in the areas we can't get to and stuff?" Simon was asked out of the blue. Did he consult with Derek this morning, saying that if we found a cooperating ghost we needed to see if they would search for us. Probably so, considering that he knew Mom was going to get Liz last night. "Sure, Chloe will you tell him that would be fine. Just let me know where and when," Liz giggled.

"Simon, Liz says she will," I said. "Hey, let's go get something to eat, I'm hungry."

"Sure, come on Liz," Simon said in response.

As we walked down the stairs I remembered that Derek said we would talk to his dad about Russell. "Shoot, I forgot a change of clothes for afterwards. Liz, Simon, could one of you go get a t-shirt and a pair of jeans?"

"Sure, I'll go," said Simon already heading back to my room.

"Liz, I need you to make sure he stays in there. Just for a little bit. I need to talk to Derek," I whispered so Simon wouldn't hear, but Derek probably could. "Can do," she said and raced off.

At the bottom of the stairs stood Derek. "Hey, nice distraction for Simon, huh?" I said, trying to soften the expression on his face.

"Yeah, whatever. Come on. He won't be in there very long, even with Liz keeping him in there. I already have Dad waiting in the dining room."

We entered the dining room holding hands again. Kit eyed our intertwined fingers suspiciously but then waved it off. "Come sit down, Kids," he said smiling at us. We sat down and Derek started talking, "Dad, Chloe contacted her mom's ghost last night and we learned some more information about the Edison Group. Chloe will have to tell you because she was the on who heard it all."

"Chloe, go ahead and say what your mom said," Kit spoke. I told him everything Mom said about the Edison Group and about Russell and about her murder. I told him how she said she was here to protect me. I told him how she found Liz and that Liz was upstairs keeping Simon distracted while we talked. When I was finished Kit spoke, "Well, Kids, it looks like there is a lot we need to consider, here. The fact we have a double agent, the fact that the Edison Group not only killed Liz, Brady, and Amber, but Chloe's mom, too. I won't talk to Andrew about this because he will just object. But I will think it over and when I am ready I will talk about it with you four. How does that sound?"

"Fine," Derek rumbled.

When I heard Liz yell that Simon was coming, the meeting was adjourned. We all grabbed something to half-way eat before he got down here. As Simon rounded the corner with my clothes, Kit eyed me suspiciously. "Hey, guys," said Simon cheerfully, handing me what he had picked out as he sat down on the side that wasn't taken by Derek. Kit looked from Derek to me to Simon then back to me then Derek and did the same thing 3 or 4 more times before finally settling his focus on me. "Chloe, could I talk to you in the other room, please?" he said.

"Sure, let me put these dirty dishes in the sink and I will be right there," I said, trying to sound cheerful.

I put my dishes in the sink and headed for the kitchen. Kit looked at me, judging what he should say first or maybe he was taking into account Derek's hearing. Finally he moved to the living room and sat down in the armchair. I couldn't help but think of my mom when he sat there. She had sat in that chair just last night. I sat down on the loveseat. Kit cleared his throat and began speaking. "Chloe, I couldn't help but notice that both my sons like you. And yet I can't understand who you have chosen. I saw you walk in holding hands with Derek this morning and then Simon bringing you stuff that you yourself or Liz could have gone back and got. I am not trying to be rude, but I don't want you toying with my sons' hearts."

"I-I-I am not t-toying with their h-hearts. I-I wasn't coming onto either of t-them. S-Simon holds my hand and will do stuff for me, but I don't like him the way he likes me. I like him but not as much as he likes me. D-Derek has just been seeming to feel confident around me. He has been holding my h-hand for just a couple of days now. And I know he l-likes me and I l-like him back. I practically am c-close to l-loving him. I-I-I just don't know who is the r-right choice right now." I was crying as I said this and I didn't notice Kit had come over and sat next to me.

"Chloe? I'm sorry. I just don't want the boys to fight over you. I am concerned for all of you all's safety. I'm just looking out for you. And I am a concerned father and I have to make sure that my sons won't get hurt," he said.

"I understand, Kit. It's just you come up to me demanding answers and I can't give you any good ones," I spoke sobs still in my voice.

I heard the door to the kitchen bang open. "I heard Chloe crying. What is going on?" Simon demanded.

"Nothing, Simon, I just got a little emotional," I said. Simon looked over at me. Studying me to make sure I was telling the truth, then shrugged and took my excuse.

We walked back to the kitchen and I re-took my seat between Derek and Simon. "So… What was that all about?" Tori asked trying to get gossip.

"Nothing you need to know," Simon snapped at her.

"That's okay, if you won't tell me now, I'll just get Chloe to tell me later," she retorted.

"No, she won't," Simon said. I put my hand up to stop the bickering and that was all it took. But even after that Tori mumbled, "Will too."

We finished breakfast and headed up to our rooms. It was Sunday so we didn't have to train. I went to the bathroom for a shower. I washed my hair trying to fade the black dye in it. When I got out I notice it didn't change a bit, my heart sunk a bit. I was hoping maybe for at least a brownish color, but it was still black. As I was walking out, I saw a large figure pass in the back of the hall. "Hello?" I called into the hall. "Hello?" I called again. "Derek? That you?" I called out. Derek stepped out of the darkness finally.

"Chloe, I just need to check. Is your mom coming back tonight?" Derek spoke, his voice speeding up as he asked the question.

"Yeah, she is, but I think there is something else you want to ask me. And why didn't you say anything at breakfast?" I responded.

"Good, we need to talk to her more. And, yes, you're right I want to ask you if you wanted to look for more clues tonight? And I was quiet because… because I heard every word spoken between you and Dad. I can't believe he did that. I know he knows you like both Simon and I and that Simon and I both like you. But I still can't believe he did that. And I heard you crying…" He cut off short of breath from talking so long and fast.

Derek stood there trying to catch his breath. I stood there for a second while waiting for him to speak again. When he didn't seem to finish his sentence I began to get worried, "Derek? Derek, are you okay? Derek?"

"I'm okay. Sorry, if I worried you. Okay, back to what I saying. I heard you crying and when I was getting ready to go and see what was wrong, I saw Simon already at the door. I wanted to check on you but with what Dad said, I didn't want to go in there when Simon was already headed that way. Chloe, really, I wanted to, but I didn't want Dad to have something else to chew you out about."

"That's okay."

"And, Chloe, don't tell Tori about what happened in there. All she is doing is wanting something to gossip about."

"I didn't plan on telling her."

I sat on my bed listening to my iPod. I was fixing to get up and get something to eat when I heard a rap at the door. "Chloe? You in here?" It sounded like Tori but I wasn't sure. I knew it wasn't Liz because she was lying in Tori's bed. "Tori?" I called out.

"No, baby. It's me. I told you I would be back tonight and it's tonight," Mom said.

"What?"

"It's night time already, baby."

"What time is it? We need to go get Derek; he said he wanted to be there when you came back."

"It's 8:00 P.M. Tori will be up here in a few minutes. She just got out of the shower. Act like you're asleep. She is super tired so she will be out in a few minutes. After that we will go get Derek, baby," Mom said walking over to me. "Oh, and Liz, you might want to move off of Tori's bed."

A few minutes later Tori walked into the room and plopped down on her bed. I waited until I heard her snoring before I made any move. "Okay, let's go get Derek," I said as I stood up.

"All right, baby," responded Mom. Liz and Mom followed me to the guys' room. I rapped lightly on the door; sure that Derek would hear it. I held my breath when I heard Simon's snores cut short for a minute. As soon as I was sure he was still asleep I let my breath out. He still hadn't come out yet so I told Mom and Liz to wait while I go and wake him. Derek sleeping in his shorts didn't really bother me anymore; I had seen him in them enough. I walked into his room quietly enough that Simon wouldn't wake. Derek, on the other hand, would stir upon me entering their room.

When I got a good look at his bed I notice he wasn't there. "Damn it, Derek!" I harshly whispered.

I walked out of the room and shook my head. "What?" Liz inquired.

"He's not in there," I said. "I have a good mind where he is. Come on."

I walked down stairs and entered into the living room to see Derek sitting on the loveseat waiting for us. "Hey," I said.

"Hey, you're late," he mumbled. "Who did you bring with you?"

"Uh, sorry, but I had to wait until Tori was asleep. And I brought Mom and Liz."

"Okay, let's start the conversation."


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, I couldn't keep a chapter from you. I wanted to get one more up before I have to go back to school after now that Spring Break is over. This chapter will also have a couple of new characters. Anyways… This chapter is super long. Almost 8 pages in word, minus the Author Notes and Disclaimer. Speaking of Disclaimers…**

**Disclaimer: *Setting: At school hanging out with my sister in the cafeteria***

**Me: Hey, Harley, guess what.**

**Harley (My sister): What?**

**Me: I see dead people.**

**Harley: So do I.**

**Me: I knew that.**

**Harley: Did you also know that you aren't Kelley Armstrong and don't own the Darkest Powers Series?**

**Me: Yes.**

**Harley: Then admit it.**

**Me: Okay. You know this makes a really crappy disclaimer. You where supposed to be helping me make one. Whatever, I'm gonna use it anyways. Now onto the show… I don't own The Darkest Powers Series. The rights belong to Kelley Armstrong. Blah, blah, blah… Now here's the chapter…**

* * *

We sat talking about what we should do about the Edison Group when we heard footsteps upstairs. I looked from Derek to Liz then back to Derek. "Chloe," Liz said. "I'm going to check and see if it is safe to confer." "Okay, go," I whispered. "What's going on?" Derek asked his voice a hissing whisper.

"Liz is going to check to see if it is safe to talk."

We waited a good five minutes before Liz ran down the stairs yelling, "It's okay! It was just Tori sleepwalking!" I told Derek what Liz said.

"Tori sleepwalking. Weird," Derek chuckled.

I told Mom what all we knew about the Edison Group and what Kit told us this morning. We had been talking about what Kit said for an hour when we heard someone coming down the stairs. Liz had gone to check and see if everyone was still asleep so it could have been her, but ghost don't make noise. A few more steps and I heard Liz's scream from the top of the stairs. "Chloe! Run! It's Andrew!"

"Derek, we have to go, now! It's Andrew!" I hissed a whisper.

"What the hell is Andrew doing coming downstairs at this time?!"

"I don't know, but we have to get going. He is almost here from what Liz says."

The footsteps continued but not as loud as they were on the stairs. "Come on," Derek hissed. He grabbed my hand and ran towards the hallway. "Chloe, I'll catch up with you later," I heard Mom call out from the living room. "Liz, where are you?" Derek called out in a whisper that was a little too loud. "Shhh…" I whispered. He heard me and shut up. Liz walked up a few seconds later holding a flash light, thank God it wasn't on. Derek took that as an 'I'm here' and grabbed the useful light source.

"Where should we go?" I asked now that we where a good distance away from where we had been. "The roof?"

"No, we will have to go to my room. Andrew won't check in there. Dad already made it clear we can take care of ourselves. The beds are about a foot off the ground so you can fit under them. Hide under mine until we are sure he is gone." Did Derek sound worried? I couldn't tell he spoke so fast.

As we entered his room as quietly as we could and he went to his bed and held the edge of his covers up. "Get in," he said, his voice a flat mono-tone. "And stay there until I say it is safe to come out." I didn't say a word, just walked over and did as he said.

I could hear Simon snoring so loud I wondered how Derek got his sleep. I had slept in the same room as him before back when we were running away, trying to get to Andrew's, but it was never that loud.

I waited there for at least an hour before Derek shifted in his bed and pulled up the edge of his blankets. "It's safe now. You need to go to bed, Chloe. It has been a really long time since you slept. Go lay down," he said looking over the edge of the bed. "I'm okay. I can stay up. We should go talk to my mom again," I said, tying to have go to bed. I wanted to talk to Mom again and I knew she would want to us again. I started to crawl out from under the bed when I hit my head on the frame. "Ow!" I yelled forgetting about Simon on the next bed. A hand clamped down on my mouth. "Chloe, what are you doing?" I heard. My mind instantly though that I had awoken Simon. I glanced over to check. He rolled over to face the wall and let out a soft snore. I looked up at Derek and pulled his hand off my mouth. "Anyone hear that?" I asked. He listened for a minute and shook his head. We waited another five minutes and no one stirred. "Come on, Chloe. You are going to bed," he said this as he easily pulled me out from underneath his bed. "Now."

I wanted to protest but kept my mouth shut. Derek led me to my room and tucked me in, staying until he was sure I was sleeping.

When I woke I saw Simon sitting on the edge of my bed. "Hey, you're up," he said, voice a little worried sounding. "Hey, what's up?" I greeted him.

"Nothing really. Just waiting for you. I need to ask you something."

Okay… What's up with Simon? Now he sounds all depressed. "All right, shoot off your question."

He tested the words before he spoke. "Last night… I don't know if I was imagining it, but I could have sworn I heard you yell. I think I might be going crazy. It sounded like it came from inside me and Derek's room. I just want to know if you and Derek had another adventure without me. Were you?" "Well, to be honest. Yes, don't tell Derek I told you this and don't let Tori find out. I made contact with my mom. She has been giving useful stuff on the house, the people who work with Andrew, and the Edison Group. We were up last talking with her. We didn't get long to talk last night 'cause Andrew woke. We went to you room and waited it out there. Derek insisted I go under his bed until he was certain nobody was up. When I was trying to get out from underneath, I hit my head. That is why you heard me yell. After I got out from underneath the bed he insisted I go to bed and I didn't want to argue so I obliged—" I was speaking in a rush when Simon cut me off. "Whoa, Chloe, slow down. Now is that all that happened?" All I could do was nod. "Well, then I won't tell Derek that you told me until he tells me himself, then you won't get yell at. Now let's get you something for you eat."

We walked to the kitchen and he reached in the cabinets for a cup. He filled it with ice and water and handed it to me. "What do you feel like eating?" His voice sounded cheerful now that he knew what had happened or maybe because he knew he wasn't going crazy. "I don't know. Anything will be fine." He grabbed a granola bar from the cabinet and tossed it to me. We sat there while I ate and made idle chat. When I finished, we went off to find Derek.

We found Derek sitting on the roof. He just sat there, gazing out into the open sky. "Hey, Derek, what's up?" Simon said. Derek sat there like he didn't here Simon at all. I tried calling to him. "Derek, it's us, Simon and Chloe." He looked over his shoulder when I said my name. His eyes shot straight to mine and Simon's hands, for once not intertwined. "Derek?" I spoke softly.

He stood up and turned around. "Hey."

"Hey? Is that all we get is a 'hey'? Dude, we have been looking through the whole house for you. Come on. Dad is looking for you," said Simon jokingly.

"Whatever."

Kit called Derek and Simon into the dining room to talk about who knows what. Since Tori was training with Gwen and there was nothing to do, I decided to listen in. I hunkered down next to the door and heard Kit right away. "Boys, I know this is going to be a problem in the future, so I am going to address it now…" I pulled away from the door with a gasp. He couldn't be addressing me with the boys, could he? I don't know why he would, he already addressed it with me and told me it was my choice since both boys liked me and I liked both of them. I couldn't listen anymore. I ran up to my room and did the same thing I did yesterday, pulled out my iPod, cranked up the volume, and closed my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep because when my eyes opened, I saw Derek looking down at me, holding my ear-buds. "You awake?" he asked impatiently. "Yeah," I said blinking my eyes a little to adjust to the lighting. "Simon needs to talk to you. He sent me to get you so I would be out of his way for whatever he's going to say. I have to go into the kitchen until you two are done talking," he sounded pissed off, like he felt he should be there when it happened.

"Well, why don't you listen from the kitchen? You should be able to hear from there."

"I didn't want to bud in, that's why."

"Whatever," and with that I left for Simon's room.

I rapped lightly on their door to let him know I was there. "Can I come in?" I giggle, already knowing the answer. "Yep, come on in." I heard from the other side of the door. I walked in and saw Simon sitting on his bed patting a spot next to him. I couldn't help but make him happy so I sat down there. Simon reached over and placed his hand on mine. I hesitated but left it there in the long run. "Derek said you wanted to talk to me?" I said, lightly questioning.

"Yeah, I do."

"Okay…"

"You see, Chloe, I really like you, and I can tell we have seemed to be moving in the direction of a relationship. And… I kind of already consider you as my girlfriend. I don't want you to take this as a bad thing, it's just… I want something more for us. I'm ready to move on from just holding hands, and I want to know you are too. I need to know, Chloe."

He was speaking in a rush and I only caught bits and pieces, but I had to respond. I scooted closer so he could hear my voice which came out as a whisper, "Simon…"

He for some reason took that as encouragement. He leaned in and our lips met. The kiss lasted a few seconds then ceased.

I couldn't believe what just happened. This wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to let him down easy. And now this… My eyes filled with tears and I fled from the room. As soon as I reached the nearest lockable door I entered. When I realized I was in the bathroom, I sat down against the wall, knees drawn to my chest, sobbing.

I was in there for about two hours when I heard a light rap on the door. Hoping it was Tori just wanting to use the bathroom, I called out to her. A response came but it wasn't her, "No, it's me, Simon. Look, I don't know what happened, but I would like you to come talk to me about it."

"I can't talk about it," I called out, sobs still in my voice.

"Chloe, come on, talk to me."

"I can't."

"Would you talk to Derek about it?" He asked with a soft lisp of hope in his words.

"No, I can't."

"Fine, when you need someone to talk about with, talk to either me or Derek. Don't go to Tori." I heard somewhere in the background "Don't go to Tori about what?" "I can't, Simon. Drop it for now. If I ever feel like talking 'bout it I will. Now go away. I will be out in a little bit."

I felt so bad for both guys. Both of them having feelings for me. Me running away from Simon when he kissed me. And me kissing Simon when I like Derek even more. Kissing Simon felt like cheating on him. Think about all this, I was getting a migraine. I went into the kitchen to look for some Tylenol when I heard footsteps come around the corner. I brushed it off to be Derek since he only makes noise when he is angry. I spun around to see Derek standing there. He was mad, of course, but why? "Hey," I called out, my voice meek. No response. "Derek," I said. Still no response. Since I wasn't getting anything out of him I decided to provoke him. "Bad, Chloe," I muttered. It set him off when we almost got caught because he chewed me out after the alley incident.

"Huh? Oh, hey," he mumble barely understandable.

"Hey, what are you mad about this time?" I figured that would get him to talk.

"Huh? Nothing."

"Then why are you moping around again?"

"Nothing."

"It isn't nothing. Now tell me, what is it?"

"It's nothing we can talk about here. Come on, we can talk on the roof."

We walked to the roof side by side. Derek led me to a spot that he said was stable to sit. We both sat down, while I asked again, "What is it?" "Chloe, Simon told me you would either talk about what happened with him or me. I would prefer you talk about it with me since I wasn't there," he said, voice soft. I couldn't let him not know, so I told him, "Simon kissed me."

I looked over at him. His face was a look of horror. "He what?!"

"Simon kissed me, Derek. And I don't want you to go down there and do anything that would hurt him and you'll regret later. I couldn't stand it when he did. And now… Now the guilt is killing me. I had the feeling of cheating on you. And now along with that, I feel guilty about running away from him when kissed me. Derek, I don't know what to do or who to choose. I can't keep hurting both of you—" I started to sob. "You could choose me," Derek instantly put his arms around me, and I didn't resist. I just leaned in and soiled his shirt with the salt water of my tears.

I sat there in his arms, weeping, while he rocked me back and forth. It was beginning to get dark. I finally stopped crying, tears dry. I crawled out of Derek's arms, only for him to pull me back into them. "Derek—" "Shhh…" came the soft murmur of his voice. "Go to sleep." I shook my head. "Go to sleep. I will carry you to your bed," his voice had a soft intensity to it that I couldn't place it.

"Derek, I can take myself. You don't have to carry me."

"No, you need rest. I would think you would be exhausted from crying all this time. I am going to carry you there as soon as Tori is in bed."

"What about Simon?"

"He'll get over it. I don't see why he would have a problem. If he does I'll just say I found you passed out on the roof. Now go to sleep." I didn't feel like arguing. And Derek was right, I was tired from crying and arguing will just make me even more. I curled up against Derek's chest and fell right to sleep.

When I woke, Derek was sitting on the edge of my bed. "Hey," my groggy voice whispered. No answer. I looked over at Tori's bed and she was nowhere to be found. "What's going on? What time is it? Where is everyone else?" I babbled, letting a hint of worry edge my tone. "Nothing is wrong; I just want to talk to you about something," he said, voice surprisingly soft. "Okay, what do you need to talk to me about?" I said, voice calming.

"Well… It is more like telling you something."

"That's fine. You can tell me."

"Uhh… How do I say this?" he mumbled to himself. Before I knew it, he was leaning closer. I kept wondering what was going on and couldn't figure it out. That is until our lips met in a kiss. Shock over took me and I froze for a second. When I finally god my bearings, I began to kiss him back. My arms wrapped around his neck as his came around my waist. The kiss was passionate and told me everything he wanted to tell me; it told me that he loved me.

When the kiss finally broke, I pulled him back in for one last peck on the lips. He kissed me back, then broke away. "I love you," he whispered, a smile reaching his voice. "I love you, too," I whispered back, leaning into his chest. I felt his head rest on mine as he held me lovingly, and I smiled.

We sat there for what seemed like hours but was probably on a few minutes when Derek took me off his lap, placing me next to him. I looked up at him, pleading as to why, when Andrew walked in. "There you are. I need you dressed and downstairs by 11. I have some friends of mine coming to help with your situation. They will be here at 11:30A.M. sharp. I expect to see you there," he said and with that he left.

I looked at the clock. It was already 10:15. "Well, I guess we better do as he says. You can take the shower first," Derek said, grinning at me. "No, no. That's okay. You take it," protesting wasn't going to get me anywhere so why was I? "Go," he said. "Fine," grumbling, I stood up and walked over to the dresser I shared with Tori. I pulled out a pair of jeans, a frilly sapphire blue blouse that matched my eyes, along with my delicates. When I got my clothes I stalked off to the bathroom.

My shower didn't last long. I could practically hear Derek waiting for me to get out. A large mirror was hung over the sink. As I looked at my reflection, I felt like something had changed. I was smiling, which wasn't un-normal, my hair was still black but looked a little more of a brownish grey, my blue eyes were dancing with love; I didn't notice anything wrong, but something had changed. I shrugged it off and finished getting ready.

When I stepped into the hall, I saw Derek leaning up against the wall. "Hey," I said. " 'Bout time you got out," he said stepping around me to take his shower.

I looked at the large grandfather clock that loomed in the corner. It read that is was 10:30. Figures. What to do, what to do. I decided to waste my time by wandering around the house. The house was a huge rambling Victorian with long hallways and 3 stories. The first was the living quarters and Andrew's room. The second was mine and Tori's room, Simon and Derek's room, and eight other, what I am guessing, bedrooms. Andrew said that the third held two libraries and a study. I hadn't gotten to check out the third floor, yet, so I headed up the stairs.

The third floor wasn't much. It was an open floor plan with a door on the left and right walls which I guess led to the libraries. There wasn't a third door that would have led to a study; the study was the third floor. To my left there was several computers lined up; to my right was two large tables with chairs all around them. I didn't have anything better to do, so I went over to the computer. A Mac. Just what I needed. I turned it on and opened a browser to check my email.

I must have gotten through half of the unopened mail when I heard a rap on the door frame. I looked up to see Derek, love dancing in his green eyes. I could get lost in those eyes, but held myself back so I would be able to concentrate. "H-h-hey," stupid stutter. "Hey," he said. "Andrew wants us downstairs. It's already past 11:15. When you never showed up, he sent me to look for you."

"Oh."

"Yeah, now come on before he has a fit. And trust me that is not something you want to experience."

"Okay."

We walked hand in hand down the stairs. I let go of Derek's hand when we had reached the bottom, for fear somebody would come to look for us. He looked at me questioning and I just gave him my explanation under my breath. Understanding, he nodded.

When we got to the living room, everyone was there. Simon, Andrew, and Kit on the sofa, Tori in the armchair. That left the loveseat open to take. Derek and I walked over, sitting so close we were almost touching. I glanced at Simon. He didn't seem to have noticed.

Everyone chatted idly until a knock at the broke the conversation. "That should be them," Andrew said, getting up to answer the door. We went back to talking until Andrew came back with our guests.

When Andrew came back he had two teenaged girls with him. One had cobalt blue eyes and shoulder length wavy, dark brown hair. She was about 5'7" and had on a pair of bleached jeans with a pink Hollister top. The other had short flame red hair and hazel eyes. She was also about 5'7" and was wearing a yellow halter top dress with a pair of red leggings and orange 5 inch heels. "Hello," they said in unison.

Andrew told us that we were going to do introductions. He told us to say our name, supernatural type, and some stuff about us. "Tori, you start," Andrew said nodding toward her.

"Hi. I'm Tori. I am a genetically modified witch with uncontrollable powers. I don't feel like doing this so if you want to know anything about me, ask me when I'm in a better mood. Oh, and my mom is the psycho bitch who wants you dead, so if you run into her, kill her before she kills you."

Simon was next and so forth. It ended with the new girls.

"Hey. I'm Simon, 15. I am a genetically modified sorcerer. If you want to get to know me better, just ask," Simon said, eyeing the red head.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Kit. I am a sorcerer. I am also the father of the two boys in this room."

"You two already know me. I'm Andrew, sorcerer. I am also the care taker of the house at the present time."

"Derek, 16, werewolf, and I don't like this one bit."

I was next. Oh, God, I hope I don't stutter. "I-I-I'm Chloe. I-I am a n-n-n-necromancer. I'm 15. If you haven't n-noticed, yet, I am the girl with a h-half-million dollar r-reward over my head. Just don't call the c-c-cops and report m-me."

Time to figure out who these new girls are. The red head spoke first, "I am Lexly Rivit, 17. I am a necromancer. I like to read and write, talk to myself, talk to dead people, staying up late so you may see me wandering around at two-in-the-morning, and making fun of wimpy boys. I dislike players, football because it so barbaric, wrestling due to barbarianism, being away from the computer for more than an hour, accidentally raising a body, getting yelled at, having to go to bed early, and the Edison Group." Good. I had anther necromancer to learn from. Then the brunette introduced herself, "I'm Lisa Colber, 17. I am a necromancer like my sister." _Sister? They don't look like sisters and they have different last names._ Then I remembered that Simon and Derek were foster brothers and that could be the case. "Me and Lexly are foster sisters. We were born on the same day so most people think that we are fraternal twins. We have been together since we were 3 months old. I like reading and writing, playing the violin and piano, and talking to the dead. I dislike bees, lemons, football because it is so barbaric, annoying ghosts who try but fail to scare you, and, of course, the Edison Group." Wow. They talk a lot. At least I will have someone to help me with my powers.

Everyone talked idly for hours on end, when Andrew finally made an announcement, "Everyone can disperse and wander around the house. You can get your own rooms now, we have plenty. If anyone else is going to come, you may have to go back to sharing." Everyone started to go up the stairs and Kit called out, "Dinner will be at 7:00P.M."

I walked up to my room to see Tori packing. "What are you doing?" I asked, shock clearly evident in my voice. "I'm changing rooms. I found one that is larger with a larger bed and it's own bathroom. I called it so I am moving out this room," she said with a snip to her tone. "Oh," was all I could say. Tori just ignored me and finished packing. When she was done, she called Derek to carry her stuff into her room. It wasn't much, she could have carried it herself, but she was just a lazy little bitch who got everything handed to her.

When Tori got settled in her new room, I stalked off to find some peace and quiet…

As I entered the study, I saw Derek and Simon in the heat of an argument. I struggled to listen to what they were saying, only catching bits and pieces of it. "You don't understand… I… her…" Derek said. "No… I… understand… You… the girl… love… I… understand… you had… take…" Simon said. God, this was not getting me anywhere. The words were choppy like the ghost from the Lyle House basement. But one thing was for certain, they were arguing about me. I backed down a few steps and then walked up making it seem if I had just come in. "Hey," I said timidly. Both their heads snapped in my direction. "Hey, Chloe," Simon beamed with a false smile. "What's going on?"

"I was just looking for something to do. Anything to do?"

"You could hang out with me. Wanna take a walk?"

"Sure."

"Cool."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey! What's up people?! Here is another chapter! It is shorter than last time, but it is fairly good in length. I don't want to use up what I have, due to the fact it is part of the next chapter and another reason I can't remember at this giving moment. This chapter is filled with drama. Hope you like.**

**Disclaimer: *Setting: Pre-Algebra with my protégés Mikayla, Lana, and Shelby (They know about my hallucinations of the characters and try to talk to them, it is really weird.)***

**Me: *writing disclaimers in my spiral 'cause I am already done with the work* **

**Mikayla: What are you doing?**

**Me: Writing disclaimers.**

**Shelby: What's a disclaimer?**

**Me: A piece of information that proves I don't own something.**

**Lana: Oh. Hey, where's Simon?**

**Me: Oh my God. Do you have to ask me that every 5 minutes?**

**Mikayla, Shelby, and Lana: Yes.**

**Me: Ugg… In the back corner of the room.**

**Mikayla: *shouts* Hi, Simon!**

**Student: Who the hell is Simon?**

**Shelby: Macaela's hallucination.**

**Student: Psycho.**

**Me: I'm right here you know.**

**Student: Yeah, I know that. I also know you don't own the Darkest Powers.**

**Me: *glares* F*** You.**

* * *

Simon took my hand and led me out back. We had walked to the tree line that bordered the house when Simon turned to me. "Chloe, why?" Simon asked.

"What do you mean, Simon?" I said, deeply confused.

"Chloe, you know what I'm talking about. Why?"

"I love him, Simon."

"I can understand that. But I thought we had something. I guess I was wrong," he said dejectedly.

"Simon, I'm sorry. It's just that I love him."

"It's alright. But, did I do something wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong. I'm sorry. Truly I am. I wish there was something I could do to make it up to you. I really do."

"Chloe, It's alright. I forgive you. This isn't the first time I have been rejected. It's just the shock of the girl going for my brother instead of me is a little much."

"Simon, I know you forgive me, but really, I'm sorry. Is there anything I could do to make it up?"

"Well, you could see if there is any chance of that red head liking me. I know that makes me sound like a player, but she is cute and seems like a nice person. I would like to get to know her better."

My face lit up with a smile at the thought that I could do something to make this better. "I'll see what I can do," I said. He smiled back at me, "Let's get back before either Derek gets worried or Andrew sends him to find us." I mumbled a slight 'kay' and started back.

The walk was quiet. Simon didn't say a word the whole time. When we reached the door, he just walked over and sat on the porch swing with out a word. I went on in to find Derek pacing. "Hey, cutie," I said in my best seductive voice. He stopped pacing and turned toward me. "There you are! I was getting worried!" he said, relief evident in his voice. I walked over to him and placed my small arms as far as I could get them around his torso. "Oh, where you? You should have been. Simon just wanted to talk," I said.

"That's fine then. By the way, where is Simon?" he said, wrapping his arms around me with a slight smile.

"Sitting on the porch swing."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So…"

"So, what?"

"So what was that upstairs?"

"What upstairs?"

"What was going on between you and Simon upstairs? It looked like you were having an argument."

"Yes, we were arguing."

"About what?"

"He somehow found out about us. He wanted to know why I took you from him when I knew that he had a thing for you. I tried to explain but he wouldn't listen. And then you came in and distracted him."

Our conversation was cut short by Andrew calling for us to come to the kitchen. We walked hand in hand to find Andrew. He was sitting at the table along with everyone. Dinner must have been ready. I looked at the stove, there was hot food waiting to be eaten. I heard laughter and looked at the table. Tori was in hysterics. "What are you laughing at, Tori?" Simon asked, obviously annoyed.

"N-n-nothing," she said trying to stop. Simon just glared at her.

Suddenly the awkward moment was broken, "Help yourself to the food," Kit said. I noticed he was glancing at my hand in Derek's. I quickly let go and went to grab a plate. The plates were in the cupboard. After reaching up and unsuccessfully being able to grab a plate, Derek reached over my head pulling out two. "Thanks," I said taking one of the plates. He grumbled something unintelligible and piled his plate with the lasagna Kit made. I took a small portion and went to sit at the table. Only one seat was open. It was between Derek and Simon. Could my day get any worse?

I sat down and started taking small bites. I got a few looks from everyone. Simon looked at me with sadness in his brown eyes. Tori… Tori looked disgusted. Andrew looked suspicious. Kit looked like he knew. The two necro sisters looked from me to Derek then back to me. I just looked down at my food and continued to eat.

When I finished eating, I washed my plate, and headed up to my room. As I ascended the stairs to enter my room, I heard crying. I decided to ignore it, thinking it would only make my day worse. When I entered the door to my room I headed straight to my bed. I noticed that the other was removed now, probably gone into storage. My face in the pillow, I screamed. After I was done screaming, I started to cry. I didn't notice that someone had entered my room, until I felt a hand rubbing circles on my back. The hand just stayed there, comforting me while I cried.

The tears subsided after what seemed like hours. I rolled over to see Derek's beautiful green eyes. I just stared into them until Derek spoke. "Chloe? Are you okay? What's wrong?" he said, voice unusually soft.

"N-n-nothing is wrong. I-I-I just c-c-can't s-stand them n-n-not knowing a-about us," I chocked out between silent sobs.

"We will tell them. But that will have to wait until tomorrow, because right now, we need to get you calmed down. Now, are you going to be okay, or do you want me stay here?" Derek said.

"S-st-s-stay here. I-I-I don't want to be alone," I whimpered.

"Then I won't leave," he said matter-o-factly. I nodded and curled up in a ball, exhaustion taking over my mind.

When I woke, Derek was still on the edge of my bed, but now he was laying down sleeping, a small smile playing on his lips. His arms where wrapped around me in a protective, yet sweet way, and I was curled up against his chest. I snuggled closer, letting out a sight of content. Derek opened his wonderful green eyes. Our gazes locked only for a second. I pulled my lips up to his giving him a small peck and a murmured 'good morning.'

"Morning," he said against my lips. "Go back to sleep," he said. "It's only two-in-the-morning." I reached up for one more kiss and curled against his chest again.

My sleep was peaceful until is was broken by yelling. "Oh. My. God. Chloe?! What the hell?!" I couldn't place the voice, but it sounded a mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief. My eyes fluttered open to see Tori staring at me over something. I tried to sit up but was held down by strong arms. Everything came flooding back to me at once. Derek sleeping in my bed, and I was snuggled up to his chest. Oh, God, what is Tori thinking?

"It's not what you think, Tori. I didn't want to be alone last night, so Derek stayed with me. What are you even doing here?" I spoke slow, so that I wouldn't stutter.

"I came to wake you up, and here I find you and dog-boy all cozy in bed together," she said as if it was obvious. Derek shifted beside me and I spoke quieter, "The fact that he is my boyfriend—"

Tori cut me off a shriek, "Boyfriend?"

"Yes, Tori. Derek is my boyfriend. We were going to tell everybody today, but you probably just ruined it," I said. I hadn't noticed that while we were arguing, Derek had woken.

"What the—" Derek mumbled rubbing his face. When he moved his hand, he saw what was wrong with the picture. "Shit," he said, looking at Tori. "Now we have to explain ourselves, again."

Tori let out a barking laugh, "Hell, yeah, you do."

"Tori, please just let it go."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Just because. Now give me an explanation."

"Fine. You want an explanation. Here it is. After I went upstairs, I came in here and cried. Derek later came in to comfort me. I was still upset so he asked if I wanted him to stay. I said yes. He was just going to stay until I fell asleep, but he ended up falling asleep himself."

"Uh-huh. You expect me to believe that?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, I have a brand new chapter for you! I hope you like it! I will have chapter 8 up maybe for… I don't know… Maybe sometime tomorrow… But on one condition… I have to get my reviews up to 25... Now onto the disclaimer…**

**Disclaimer: *Setting: I am holding Marcel and Andrew hostage…***

**Me: Now, Marcel…**

**Marcel: Dr. Davidoff, please.**

**Me: No! You will be called Marcel.**

**Marcel: Don't make me call your mother.**

**Me: I don't care if you call my mom. She won't care.**

**Marcel: Are you so sure?**

**Me: Yes. Now call off your attack on Chloe and Derek and Simon and Tori and Kit. You can have Andrew.**

**Andrew: Hey! I'm right here!**

**Marcel: *Attempts to escape***

**Me: *Tasers Marcel* No. You're not.**

**Andrew: Yes, I am.**

**Me: Not.**

**Andrew: Okay. If I wasn't here, then you would own the Darkest Powers, and you don't own it.**

**Me: Why'd you have to ruin my fun? I wasn't going to kill you off, but now I just might. *Runs off crying***

**Marcel: Andrew, you know she doesn't own the Darkest Powers, why did you have to make her run off? Now we'll never get out of here.**

**Andrew: Let's just rap this up… Macaela doesn't own the Darkest Powers no matter how much she deludes herself into think she does.**

* * *

"Yes, I do. If you don't except it, then I will reveal something you don't want anyone to know. And you don't even know it yourself." What the demi-demon said would be perfect. It is something she wouldn't want anyone to know.

"And what is that?"

"I won't tell you and you alone if you don't promise to keep this little encounter a secret."

"Fine. I promise I won't tell anyone about you and dog-boy."

"Good," I said. Turning to Derek, I spoke again, "Derek, cover your ears please. And if you can still hear us, then go into the closet."

Derek grumbled something that sound suspiciously like a 'yes', but you could never be to certain. He stalked off to the closet and went inside. When I was sure he wouldn't listen, I began to relay what the demi-demon said about Tori. When I finished, she sat there, looking like I had slapped her. After a few minutes, Tori spoke. "My dad isn't my real dad? What I had with him was meaningless? I can't believe that bitch would do that to me," she said. "Do you have any idea who my father could be?" I just shook my head. "At least you didn't keep me in the dark forever," she said, her voice barely audible. I gave a slight nod.

Tori left the room in a daze. It seemed as if she had gone back in the same zombie stage she was in when Liz was supposedly transferred. Seeing her like that was giving me a bad feeling. I shook it off and walked over to my closet. I didn't even have to reach for the knob, Derek already had the door open and me in his arms. I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned into his chest. "So what was that all about?" he asked. "Nothing. Really. It was nothing. The information was a bit of a shock to her, but she will get over it," I mumbled into him. "Mmh-kay. Just as long as you're all right," he said. "Should we tell them now?" I asked looking up into his beautiful eyes. He nodded, "Tori already knows, so we should tell them before she gets the chance." "Okay. I'll go down and tell them we need to talk to them in five minutes. That will give you time to get to your room and clean up. You're still wearing yesterday's clothes," I murmured as I left the room, knowing perfectly well he could hear me.

Everyone was in the kitchen when I entered, good. "E-ev-everyone. If y-y-you could m-meet me and D-Derek in the l-l-living room in a-about five m-minutes, w-we have s-something to t-tell y-you," I said, my stutter over coming me. "Sure," Kit responded, a light smile on his face. "We'll be there." I gave them a small nod and headed for my room.

I pulled out random clothes, not even aware of what I chose until began to put it on. I had grabbed a red sweater and a knee length black skirt. When I finished dressing, I went to join Derek. I stepped out of the door only to see him leaning against the wall, thumbs in his pockets. "Let's go," he said when I took his hand.

We walked in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't pleasant; it was somewhere in-between. At the bottom of the stairs, we didn't break apart like we normally did; we just walked hand-in-hand to the living room.

Upon entering the living room, all eyes fell upon our joined hands. Derek let out a slight growl and all eyes looked up at our faces. "Okay, Chloe, Derek. What do you need to tell us?" Kit addressed us. "Well…" I said blushing profusely. Derek and I had taken a seat on the loveseat, his arm around my shoulder. Suddenly, I heard laughter. I looked around the room to see Tori doubled over laughing. "Chloe— and Dog-boy— are— together—," she sputtered. My blush deepened as she said that. I looked at the familiar faces. They were filled with looks of shock, scorn, and disappointment. Examining the faces, I looked at Kit. His face was blank except for a slight smile playing on the corners of his mouth. My eyes flicked to Andrew. Disappointment and scorn were evident on his features and I couldn't help but wonder why. I looked at the sisters, their shocked expressions breaking their normally perky and wild personalities. I didn't bother looking at Simon or Tori, them already knowing. "Is it true?" Andrew inquired. I just nodded my head feebly. "Well, then, I don't see a problem with it as long as you are happy," Kit said with a smile. "You may go if that is all Chloe and Derek have to say." We nodded in unison telling them that we were done, and they dispersed; Tori stalking up to the study for use of a computer, Simon going up to his room to draw, Andrew going shopping to stock up, Kit going to make lunch, Lexly and Lisa going off to play _Left 4 Dead 2_ on the Xbox 360 they brought with them along with their many electronics including a 52 inch plasma screen television, their iPod Nanos, a Wii, Nintendo DS Lites, a blueray DVD player, and all of their movies and video games and CD's. A

Derek and I stayed on the couch, a little amazed at how easy that was. After sitting in a daze after a few minutes, Derek broke the silence. "So… What do you want to do?" he asked. "I don't know. How about we watch some TV?" I said. He gave a shrug in response and turned on the news. I leaned my head against his shoulder and aimed my attention to what was playing in front of me. It was at the tail end of the weather, going on to the reports. The woman on the screen began to speak. _'There has been no leads on the Saunders girl, who was reported missing after disappearing from a Buffalo group home. She was last seen near an alley with a large dark haired man, whom is believed to be her kidnapper.' _A picture of me with my strawberry blonde hair with red streaks came onto the screen as the woman started the 'if you see this girl' information. I felt my throat tighten as I tried to fight back tears. "Are you okay?" Derek asked looking down at me. I shook my head no and turned into his chest, crying. The TV clicked off. Derek began to stroke my head and whisper sweet nothings of comfort in my ear.

I cried until I was barely able to speak. "Are you going to be okay?" Derek asked, concern saturating his eyes. "I-I-I'll b-be o-o-okay. I j-j-just miss m-my d-d-da-dad. C-can we go v-visit h-h-him a-after w-we r-re-resque Aunt L-Lauren a-a-and R-Rae?" I said between sobs. "I'm sure we can. We just have to make sure the Edison Group is off our trail, but we will go see him soon. In fact, I think we are going to come up with a plan of action tonight," he said. I just nodded in acknowledgement and went back to crying into Derek's shirt.

During the time I was crying I must have fallen asleep, because a few hours later I felt strong arms pick me up bridal style and carry me upstairs. I was laid across a bed by Derek. Expecting him to release me and go to his room, I absent-mindedly rolled over. When his arms never released me, I rolled over and snuggled into his chest. In a matter of minutes, I was overtaken by a deep, dreamless sleep.

"Chloe. Chloe, it's time to wake up," I heard a familiar deep voice say. Derek. I let out a grumble in protest. "Come on, Chlo. Get out of bed," Derek prompted. "Five more minute," I said into the pillow. "Now," he said, pulling me off the bed, and setting me on my feet. "What time is it?" I mumbled rubbing the sleep from my bleary eyes. "One in the afternoon," he said.

"Wow," I whispered.

"Yeah."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself up for a kiss. Understanding what I wanted, he leaned down to meet me. The kiss was loving and sweet and made me want more. I stood on tipsy toes to meet his lips again. He met my demands and then released me with a gruff, "We need to go downstairs and discuss the plan." I nodded, taking his hand and starting for the stairs.

The trip downstairs was short and quiet as we walked side-by-side and hand-in-hand. "Where is everybody at?" I asked. "The living room," came the answer. I gave a slight nod and turned toward the living room.

We entered and took a seat on the sofa next to Simon; me in the middle between the two guys. "So, what is the plan?" Lexly and Lisa asked in unison. "That is what we are going to discuss, right?" Tori asked. "Yes," Kit answered. "Then why aren't we talking about it?" unanimously spoke Lexly and Lisa. "Because there is no plan, yet. We are bringing in more recruits. They should be here in a few minutes," Andrew bluntly said. "Oh, all right. We are gonna go play L4D2. Bye," their perky voices yelled from the stair. "Well, you can leave now," Andrew spoke as though he was choosing his words carefully.

Everyone dispersed, per usual. Derek said he had research to do, so that left me to myself. I didn't really have time to talk to Lexly and Lisa so I decided to go talk to them. Finding their room was hard. They decided that they wanted the largest room in the house. I walked down the hall to a big door that had Lexly & Lisa's Paradise in large yellow letters. Knocking on the door, something blew up inside, causing me to panic. I didn't calm until I heard their bright voices call out to me, "Come in."

I opened the door slowly to reveal bright pink walls with yellow stripes, orange and teal checkered carpet, and all of their crazy furniture. They turned their heads slightly in my direction giving me a peppy 'hello.' "Hey, what are you up too?" I asked. "Oh, we are playing Left 4 Dead 2. It is game where you slash zombies. It is really cool. I am playing as Ellis," Lexly said. "And I am playing as Nick. If you haven't noticed already, Rachelle is under attack. The zombie attacking at her is called a Hunter. It attacks by pouncing on a person then clawing them to death," Lisa said. At the mention of Rachelle, my mind automatically went to Rae. We had to rescue her from the Edison Group whether she wanted to be rescued or not, because one day she was going to be murdered by them. Lexly and Lisa continued to blab about the game they were playing while I watched, but didn't watch. My eyes where fixed on the screen, but my mind was on Rae and Dad and Aunt Lauren.

I was woken from my thoughts by an icy hand touching my shoulder. Letting out a scream, I jumped up and ran behind the giant teddy bear in the back. I could hear Derek yelling my name far off, which wasn't really big considering I screamed. What surprised me was what came out of Lexly and Lisa's mouths. At the same time they both shouted, "Awesome!" then started bombarding this new ghost with questions.

Not long after the questions started, Derek appeared in the doorway. I ran from where I was hiding into his arms. "What happened?" worry brimmed his tone. "G-ghost," was all I said. "It t-touch-touched me."

"There is no need to be worried, Chloe. He is all right. All he wanted was to meet you. His name is Tristyn Grace. He is poltergeist who used to be a Volo Half-Demon. And he is 15. You would really like him if you get to know him," Lexly and Lisa said.

"We need to tell Andrew and Dad about this then. Is he willing to help with the Edison Group situation?" Derek said. Lexly and Lisa's heads bobbed up and down at an outrages speed, that I wondered how they kept them on. "You two can go tell him then. Tell him everything he says about himself. And figure out how he died while you're at it," Derek said. They gave another nod and told Tristyn to follow them, leaving me and Derek alone.

* * *

**Okay, I want my review total up to 25. When I give the signal, you press the review button. RIP little green review button. RIP.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ello, I have a new chapter! I wasn't going to post this today, but I am in a good mood because my mom let me pre-order ****The Reckoning****. So be grateful. I won't be able to post again until, maybe, Monday night… I have a lot going on this weekend with it being Easter and all. This chapter has a few interrupting Author Notes, so it seems a little longer than usual, but they aren't. So I'm going to set y'all straight, I don't own The Darkest Powers, Kelley Armstrong does and I don't see her giving me the rights anytime soon. Now onto the story…**

* * *

After a minute of standing in Lexly and Lisa's doorway, Derek and I decided to go eat something. We ended up in the kitchen with plates piled high with poppy seed chicken **(A/N: I love poppy seed chicken. I just had to put it in here.) **With lots of chicken gravy. I had a full plate which I knew I couldn't eat, but what I didn't eat, Derek would eat.

We finished eating in record time. I ate about a third of my plate and Derek ate his whole plate and what was left of mine. After placing our dishes in the sink, we headed upstairs to meet officially meet Tristyn.

I trudged up the stairs holding Derek's hand. From what Lexly and Lisa said, they would be hanging out with Tristyn in their room. I knocked on their door and waited for an answer. When no answer came, I let us in myself. "Hey," I said. "Welcome," they responded. My eyes flashed around the room looking for Tristyn. Coming up empty, I had to ask. "Where's Tristyn?" I said.

"Oh, Margaret wanted to talk to him. She said something about wanting to make sure he is trustworthy. We think he is, but she's just a stick in the mud. Also said something about how she doesn't need another poltergeist running 'bout the house. I am guessing she meant Liz; which by the way, she is awesome. She can hold a conversation with us," both of the girls said.

"All right… Well, we're gonna go look for him. I need to get some info out of him," I said, and with that we left. After we closed the door we heard loud music begin, but put it off as one of their hair brained schemes.

I led Derek to Margaret's room and entered without asking. "Hey, Chloe," came from the back of the room. I let my eyes trail to where I heard the voice, and saw Tristyn and Margaret talking in hushed voices. "Tristyn, can we talk to you?" Derek asked. Margaret nodded and told him he could. I pulled Derek from the room as Tristyn followed us out. We walked down stairs and sat in the living room. "Tristyn, I was wondering… why exactly are you here?" I said.

"Easy. The Edison Group took me to the Lyle House after you all escaped. My powers were uncontrollable. When they figured that out, they killed me automatically, because of what happened with Liz. It was Diane Enright… When I heard of you guys coming here, I decided I would help."

"So the Edison Group had you for one day and then killed you?" I questioned, unsure. He nodded. "Oh, my God. Tristyn…" I said as tears started streaming down my face. Derek was quick to respond. He wrapped his arms around me and started rubbing circles on my lower back. "What is he saying, Chlo?" Derek whispered.

"Mrs. Enright k-k-killed h-him. B-Because his p-powers w-where too s-strong. He was thr-thrown in L-Lyle House after we ran a-away…" I couldn't talk anymore, I just cried. I cried for Tristyn, for Liz, for Mom, for Dad, for Derek, for everyone. I had to be strong, but couldn't. I just couldn't hold it in. Tori's mom was a cold hearted killer, and she would have to be the first one down. We couldn't risk losing anyone.

I cried and Derek comforted me. He held me on his lap, rubbing circles on my lower back, and whispering sweet nothings in my ear. I clung to his shirt as if my life depended on it. Sitting there seemed like hours. We had been there for a while when Simon came in. "Hey… Dinner's ready," he said. Then he noticed me, "What's wrong with Chloe?" He pointed the question to Derek.

"I-it's nothing, Simon. Like before, I just got a little emotional. It was about how Tristyn died, that's all. Nothing you need to worry 'bout," I said. My voice was still shaky but I didn't stutter, a first.

"Okay, but I would relay the information to everybody today. The new people are supposed to arrive later today; they would have been here earlier, but they had a delay with their flight. I think around 4:00 is when they'll be here…" he trailed off and gave me a smile. "It is gonna be awesome. They're from Columbus." **(A/N: It is about 3:15 in this part. If you're not clear on time. Chloe was deep in thought for about an hour. Then Tristyn came into view and you know the rest.)**

"Ohio?"

"No… Texas. Not sure where exactly that is, but apparently it's a town filled with supernaturals…"

"I never heard of Texas having a Columbus."

"Well, apparently, they do. I'm gonna go to the kitchen and get some grub. Did you talk to you-know-who for me?"

"Not yet. I got distracted when I did…"'

"Oh, okay. When do you think you'd get the chance?"

"Here in a little bit."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye." Simon had walked away when I turned to Derek again. "After I eat, I'm going to go talk to Lexly… and Lisa." I saw his face fill with worry. "Don't worry. Last time I was deep in thought and Tristyn accidentally scared me. It probably won't happen again."

"Okay, but be cautious."

"I will," I said, and his face softened.

"I love you," he whispered and gave me a quick kiss.

"I love you, too." At that I gave him another kiss. He stood, holding me bridal-style before setting me genteelly on my feet. He took my hand and led me to the wonderful feast that lay in front of us. A lot of food was placed around the table. Poppy seed chicken, chicken turn over, dried sausage and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey, steak, vegetables, sausage… Thinking about it made my mouth water and my stomach rumble. I heard a slight chuckle come from next to me. "Hungry?" Derek said. I nodded.

"Who made all this?" I asked, looking at the stove for the first time, where Lexly was preparing more food. She raised her hand and gave a small response. Wow, who would have known…? Lexly is only 17 and she can cook like she was 40. Not to mention she is extremely smart. No wonder Simon wants to be with her. "It looks so good."

"Thanks. I learned to cook from my mom. I also learned how to bake and sew. When you grow up in Columbus, Texas, you learn a lot. Oh, I also learned can and make deer sausage. A lot of the people coming here are all friends of mine. We went to the same school. So… Do you wanna know I made?"

She lives in Texas? Hmm… I see it now, she has a slight twang to her voice. "Sure."

"We have dried deer sausage and regular deer sausage. Cheddar cheese. Cheesy mashed potatoes with beef, chicken, turkey, and country gravy. Poppy seed chicken. Chicken turn over. Turkey, chicken, and steak. Corn, peas, green beans, and black beans. I am also baking a Texas Sheet Cake. It is really good. I hope you like it all. But we aren't eating until everyone gets here."

"Aww… It looks so good, I want to eat it now…"

"In an hour…"

"Won't it be cold by then?" Derek interrupted.

"No. My mom taught me how to keep food warm for up to three hours. Old family secret, can't tell."

"Okay, well, we are going to wait in the living room. Your friends should be here soon, right?"

"They're here now," Lexly said, checking a text message. "EVERYONE IN THE LIVING ROOM NOW!" she shouted. We heard grumbles coming from upstairs, and took that as a 'yes.' Derek and I headed for living room while Lexly met Lisa. They answered the door with hugs to everyone except for the only guy present. "Everyone," Lexly and Lisa said. "Take a seat and we will begin introductions, Texas style…"

Everyone took a seat. Me on Derek's lap, Simon sat next to us, Tori next to him, Lisa next to her, Andrew and Kit next to her, Tristyn and Liz next to them. What surprised me was where Lexly sat. She didn't make Andrew move over, instead, she sat on Simon's lap. Simon looked surprised. "Are you sure you didn't talk to her?" he mouthed to me. I nodded. She turned around to look at him and smiled, "I hope you don't mind me using you as a chair," she said. He gave her one of his most dazzling smiles. "I don't mind," he said with a wink.

"Okay, well lets get this over with," Derek said, clearly annoyed. I turned around and glared at him and Lexly slapped him. "Ow…" he muttered under his breath.

"Who wants to start?" Andrew said. I heard Tori shout 'I will' and begin her introduction. It continued like that. Everyone we already knew went first. Then it was time for the newbies. A girl with black hair with a white streak down the left side and grey eyes stood. "I'm Emma Paige. I am 9. Y'all are all new to me, so I won't talk to you 'less you talk to me. I am a shaman. I hate my abilities, so don't expect me to heal you unless you are Death's doorstep. If you call me 'Em' I will slaughter you. I will spy on you, and you better have a piece of gum when I ask for some. And if I loose Humphrey," she held up a old looking teddy bear, "and you find him, I will be nice to you for a week." Emma sat down and a girl in her late teens with amber eyes and golden blond hair stood.

"I'm Rayon Love. I am a witch. I am 16. I am Emma's designated babysitter/guardian. I like babysitting Emma, music, and learning new spells. I hate nameless things, blue eyes, the E.D., and accidentally blowing things up." She sat down.

A boy about six-foot-tall stood. He had blond hair and grey eyes. "I'm Jessie Hartt. I'm a sorcerer. I have dibs on Rayon, even though she doesn't like me. I hate the E.D. and the color purple. Don't let me see a pair of Converse because I'll end up blowing them up." He sat down and tried putting his arm, unsuccessfully around Rayon's shoulder.

Next a small girl who couldn't be no more than two, she was so small, stood up. Her black hair fell in ringlets around her face, covering her dark, dark eyes. "She doesn't speak, but I will tell you who she is. Her names are Ida, Leslie, and Mary Jimenez. She has Multiple Personality Disorder. She is 6. She also has dwarfism. As one, she is under her main personality, Ida, she can split herself into all three. It basically gives her three different bodies; one for each personality. Ida is a teleporting half-demon. Leslie is an Exsaustio half-demon. Mary is an Aqua half-demon. They all are really nice. There isn't a demonic one or anything like that. You will really like her. Just don't expect any words to come out of her mouth," Jessie said. He pulled the girl onto the couch with him.

"Which personality is she in now?" Kit asked.

"We never know. All we know is that when she writes something, she writes whatever personality she is in. It just depends on when she feels like writing. And we also know that each personality is different because we have caught her using the powers of different types of half demons," Rayon answered. A few small responses came from everyone but the Texans. "Now, let's go eat. I'm starving."

Everyone stood and waltzed to the kitchen, taking a seat. "I hope y'all are super hungry when you see what I made," Lexly said.

"Oh, we're hungry, all right," said Jessie.

"Good. Now, dig in!" Lexly exclaimed. We all got plates and started stuffing our faces. It took me half the time to fill than it normally did. I had three helpings of chicken turn over with chicken gravy, along with mashed potatoes, corn, peas, and poppy seed chicken. Looking at Derek, I noticed that he had just completed his 5th plate of food filled to the edge and piled high. I smiled at him and he smiled back. I grabbed our plates and took them to the sink, then I sat back down.

When I got situated, I looked around the table to see everyone had finished eating already and Derek and I where the last ones to finish. "You must have been hungry," Simon said. "I've never seen anyone except Derek eat that much." I let out a laugh, "Yeah. I feel like I haven't eaten in years," I said, then turned my attention to Lexly. "That was delicious."

"You're welcome. I had enough made, right? I know with Derek being a werewolf and all, that he eats a lot," Lexly said

"Yes, you had plenty. In fact, you probably have enough for lunch or supper tomorrow," Derek said.

"Well, then. I know what's for supper tomorrow," she said with a slight giggle. I couldn't help but giggle a little, too. Not soon after, the entire table was laughing with us. Finally, when everyone was out of breath, we were dismissed. I chose to take the opportunity to talk to Lexly alone. I pulled her aside before she could run off. "Hey, Lexly. I was wondering if you would come with me to my room. I'd like to talk to you," I said.

"Sure," she responded with a bobbing of her head. She sprinted ahead shouting for me 'try and catch her if I could.' I ran after her, passing by Derek. I blew him a kiss and mouthed, "I'll explain later," to him. He gave me a nod as he captured my kiss. When I reached the top of the stairs, Lexly was no where in sight. _Damn. That girl is fast. Now where could she be? __Isn't it obvious. She would be hiding in your room. __Yeah, but how would you know? __Because. This isn't your subconscious. This is Ida. What they haven't discovered is that I don't have a voice. I have to talk by invading thoughts. All of my personalities are like that. We can't say a single word. I can also read minds. __Okay… So are you sure she is in my room? __Yes. She was thinking it_. _Thanks for the help, Ida. __No problem._ After Ida left my thoughts, I padded to my door. "Come out, Lexly. I know you're in here," I called out.

"Damn, who told you?" she said.

"Ida."

"That little mother fu—" I cut her off. "Don't call her that. She has a lot of disorders. Her dwarfism, MPD, and apparently she can't talk with words but with thoughts. She can also read minds. She wanted to help me and told me," I said, chewing her out with my words.

"Oh. So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"What do you think I want to talk about?"

* * *

**I hope y'all have a wonderful Good Friday and a merry Easter. I want my review total up to 35 by Monday and I might give you two chapters if I have a good day at school. Now click the little review button that used to be green and leave a nice little comment or I'll hunt you down and make you. Not really.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ello. I have a new chapter, but I am a little disappointed in y'all. I was at least expected 30 reviews, but all I got was 29. I said I wanted 35, but the deal with that was, if I got 35 I would give you two chapters. But whatever. This chapter is a little dramatic and not the very best, but I still think it is good. I want my review total up to 35 this time, before I update again.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Darkest Powers and if you don't believe me, here is Simon to help.**

**Simon: Macaela does not own the Darkest Powers or me, even though she wants to—**

**Me: Does not.**

**Simon: —or Derek or Chloe or Tori or Andrew—**

**Me: I think they get the point.**

**Simon: —or Margaret or the safe-house. Kelley Armstrong does. **

**Me: Okay, so apparently with Simon's little rant type speech thing, y'all should get he point. Now onto the chapter…**

_**Previously in Chapter 8: **_

"_Oh. So what did you want to talk to me about?"_

"_What do you think I want to talk about?"_

**Chapter 9:**

"Gimme a minute…" she closed her eyes, pausing for 30 seconds. "Okay. This is spot on. I am part psychic. You want to talk about Simon. He asked you to talk to me. And let's see…" Another pause. "He likes me just as much as I like him. Which is a lot."

"You like him, too. He told me to talk to you about what you thought of him, but this makes my job a lot easier."

"Yep. Now, let's see…" she pause again, then spoke. "You are going to relay to Simon that he should go for it. Then he is going to ask me out. I'm gonna say yes. Then we will make out. Really awesome how I can tell the future. And don't worry. Andrew and Kit already know about my extra ability so they will be using me to see the outcome of the fight against the E.D… Now go do what I told you that you where going to do and then go find Derek. Mary told me just a second ago to hurry up with you; that Derek was looking for you. Something about him Changing, I think."

"Crap. Okay, bye," I said and ran from the room to tell Simon. After I told him I talked to Lexly and she gave a positive result. He ran off to find her. I grabbed my jacket and put on my shoes as I ran off looking for Derek. He was stumbling off the steps of the back porch heading for the forest. "Where do you think you're going?" I said to him. He turned his head a little bit for me to see the fever in his eyes. A muscle in his back twitched and he grunted in pain. "Come on," I said. Taking his hand, I led him to clearing we had used the last time he Changed. I helped him take off his clothes, leaving him in his shorts. As soon as I moved his clothes behind a tree, he dropped to all fours and began breathing deeply. I walked over to him, then kneeled and began to kneed circles between his shoulder blades. I whispered in his ear, telling him he was doing great and reminding him that I loved him. By now, hair had started to grow, but wasn't receding. I could hear the bones rearranging them in his body. Every time he let out a strangled cry, I cringed. I had to be strong, but I couldn't stand seeing Derek in so much pain.

A silent tear ran down my face and I quickly wiped it away before Derek noticed. I whispered more reassurances in his ear until his back jack-knifed into an unnatural position. I let out a whimper as he cried out in pain. After a moment, Derek's strangled cries ended and in his place was a black wolf. "D-Derek?" I whispered. The wolf turned his head in my direction. Derek's green eyes bore into mine. I knew it was him when I saw them. The fear, love, concern that shown in them made me crawl forward and pull him into my lap for a change, letting his head rest on my shoulder. "I love you," I whispered in his ear. He pulled his head back slightly and nuzzled his nose against my collar bone. I let out a slight giggle and rested my forehead on his. I started scratching his back. His tail started wagging and I couldn't help letting out another giggle.

We stayed there and enjoyed the moment alone, celebrating Derek's first Change. After awhile, Derek pulled away from my embrace. I gave him a questioning look as he walked away. I was about to stand up and go after him, when Derek re-entered the clearing carrying his clothes that I had discarded. I was still confused. When I asked what he was doing, he put the clothes down, nodded to them, and picked them back up heading for a tree.

After minutes of waiting for Derek to come out of the trees, I started to get worried. Standing up, I padded quietly to where he retreated. "Derek? Derek, are you there?" I whispered. When I got no answer, I behind the tree only to see him half dressed and unconscious. He was laying in an unnatural position with blood pooling around him. "Derek!" I shrieked. I ran over to his body and shook his sleeping form. "Derek! Wake up! Please wake up!" He wasn't responding. I shook him more vigorously getting no response still. My eyes started to water, tears pouring. In the few moments of crying, I remembered Ida. She could read my thoughts. She also said that Leslie and Mary, her other personalities, could read thoughts, too. _Ida! Mary! Leslie! Somebody answer me! I need help! It's Derek! He's Dying! Please, answer me!_ I was screaming for one of the girls. I needed help and I could leave Derek. _Chloe, it's Leslie. What's wrong with Derek? __He was Changing, and… and he went to Change back… and when he did… I found him like he is now. He is bleeding profusely. It won't stop. Bring Emma here, please. __I'll bring her. How long has he been bleeding?__ Almost a half hour. Please, hurry. __We'll be there in a minute.__ Thank you. _I finished talking to Leslie and went back to Derek. I tried waking him again, still unsuccessful. "Derek? Please, Derek. Wake up. I can't have you die." The tears were forming oceans now. I picked up his head and laid it in my lap. He flinched at my touch, but was still unresponsive. "Derek?" I kept trying to wake him, and he continued to be unresponsive. Soon my pleas for him to wake ended and I just cried, whimpering his name every so often.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Leslie showed up with Emma. "Let me get to him. It won't be long," Emma said. I nodded and moved out of her way. She placed a hand over his injuries and a blue light began to glow. Not soon after, Derek began to fidget. I rushed to his side and held his hand. "Derek? Derek, are you okay?" I whispered. My voice was cracking and I didn't want to alarm him, so I kept my mouth closed after that. He coughed a little, then began to speak, "Chloe? Chloe?"

"I'm right here," I whispered. He coughed again and became unconscious once more. "Did you bring Andrew, Kit, and Simon or some one who can help take him back?"

"No," Emma said.

"Why?"

"Because. You dragged me out of bed to use my abilities, which I hate."

"Sorry, but I can't lose him. Is he going to be okay?"

"He will be fine. What caused this anyway?"

"I don't know."

"Well, call Tristyn and tell him to get Andrew and Kit. They will be able to help the best."

"Okay."

I called both Tristyn and Liz. Tristyn was to wake Andrew and Liz to wake Kit. When that was accomplished, both men ran to our position in the forest. When they arrived, they didn't say a word. They just got to work. Kit took Derek's head and shoulders while Andrew picked up his legs.

They carried him back with Leslie, Emma, Liz, Tristyn, and me following. I opened the door, and they carried Derek to the couch. Placing him down gently, they got him situated. I rushed over to his side, now that it wasn't preoccupied. Taking his hand in mine, I sat there and cried until he began to stir. "Derek?" I whispered. He heard me, I could tell. His eyelids began to flutter slightly and he let out a slight moan. "Chloe…" he whispered.

"I'm right here."

"Chloe, I love you," he whispered, before slipping back into a comatose state. I let out a whimper and resumed crying.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, what up? Wait, don't answer that, I know what is up… The sky! LOL. Okay, so let me clear some stuff up…**

**1) Just because **_**The Reckoning **_**was released, I am not, I repeat NOT going to discontinue **_**All's Fair in Love and War. **_**I plan on doing a sequel to it.**

**2) I have decided that instead of asking for reviews, I am just going to update every Friday when I get home from school.**

**3) This will not contain any spoilers. This is my version so it will not have a single detail like the book. It might have some subtle similarities, but very little…**

**Okay… Now that that is cleared up, lemme give you a brief description of what is going on in this chapter…**

**Basically, this will fill in everything. You will know what 'caused Derek's coma and such. It will also get a little steamy. *smiles evilly* You will also hear one of Andrew's rants… Hurray, Andrew is going to be all used-to-be favorite uncle on them… Yeah, right…**

**This is going to be a pretty long chapter. I want to cover a lot of things, and I am just going to put them all in here… If I was Kelley Armstrong, I wouldn't have to worry about that, now would I…**

**Now since I am just here to entertain you, and I don't own The Darkest Powers, lets get on to the chapter…**

* * *

Derek had been in his comatose state for three days. He would mumble my name every so often and with a whispered 'I love you' then laps back into the dreadful silence. I stayed by his side, only leaving when nature called. I sat by his side, teary eyed. Every one who passed gave me a look of sympathy. I tried to glare at them, I didn't need their sympathy. Words didn't come out of my mouth unless they were to respond to Derek in hope of him finally opening his eyes. I only spoke to Ida, Leslie, or Mary. They tried to get me to eat, so did everyone else. I was becoming a stick, not that I wasn't already, but you could see my ribs now.

On the fourth day of his coma, Derek started to become more aware. He began calling for me more. He started to move. Around noon, he opened his eyes. It was brief, but it was enough for me. Just to see the intense green of his eyes… He fell asleep then. This time it was sleep. I could hear his soft snores as he breathed. I relaxed enough that I fell asleep right next to him on the floor.

When I woke, I was in Derek's arms on the couch. My body was curled up against his chest. _How did I get here last night? I fell asleep on the floor didn't I?_ I did in fact fall asleep on the floor. I remember holding Derek's hand, my arm stretching to reach it. _You were whimpering in your sleep and Derek woke up. When he saw you on the floor, he pulled you into his arms. __Oh…_ Well that explained a lot. I shifted to move a lock of hair out of Derek's face, and his eyes snapped open. I missed those eyes so much. I just stared into them, soaking in their wonderful shade of green. I couldn't control myself, I just leaned in and kissed him. I missed the feel of his lips on mine. I craved him in any way possible. He was kissing me in a matter of seconds. It was passionate and loving. It told us how much we missed each other. Eventually, we had to break apart for air. "Don't you ever try to die on me again," I said.

"I wasn't planning on dying, love. I won't ever die on you."

"Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"What nearly killed you?"

"You don't want to know."

"Yes, I do."

"Chloe, don't argue. You really don't want to know."

"I may not want to hear it, but I need to know. Please just tell me."

"Fine."

"Okay. Now, what nearly killed you?"

"Davidoff."

"What!?" My voice was panicked now. They couldn't have found us. Not now. Not here. We were finally safe…

"Don't worry. He was just walking around when he found me. I gave him quite a beating in my wolf form. I made sure not to bite him, also. He shot me. Had a silencer on the gun… Chloe?" I had tears running down my face. To think that Davidoff had shot Derek. It was too much. It scared me. He pulled me to his chest and sat us up. "Don't cry. Please don't cry. You've done enough of that these past few days."

"What if they find us, Derek? What if they find us and we can't escape? What if they find us and somebody dies?"

"They won't find us. We were to far out for them to know the location of the safe-house. Trust me."

"I'm still scared."

"I know. And we'll get through this. No one will hurt you." I couldn't talk anymore. I just cried. Derek rubbed circles on my back. I vaguely remember small conversations going on between Derek and everyone else, and being laid down on my bed. I had fallen asleep, exhaustion taking over. I had cried so much and had slept so little, that it seemed like I was out forever.

I dreamed a dreamless sleep. Nothing but colors flashing. At the end of my slumber, random numbers came up. A four and a six. What could they mean? The numbers flashed in my subconscious again. They kept repeating until it formed an image. It was the Edison Group Head Quarters. It was on fire. Rae stood towards it, being the one who created the destruction. All the faces I knew stood behind her, except one. I couldn't tell who, though. I was in Derek's arms, my face buried in his chest. Simon was holding Lexly, Lisa next to them. The others from Texas stood off a little ways. Kit was on the ground unconscious, and Emma was kneeling over him. She was healing him. Andrew was keeping guard, along with Tristyn and Liz. Margaret was nowhere to be found. Where was she?

I kept the dream in my mind, reminding myself to talk to Kit and Derek about it. If it was a sign, what could it mean? Could it be how it would all end? Or how it will all get started? I got up just as Derek entered. "Chloe," he said, relief saturating his voice. He ran up to me and swooped me up into a hug. "I was so worried you wouldn't wake up. You give me hell about almost dying on you and then you yourself go into a coma. What is up with that?"

"I-I was in a c-coma?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"A week."

"A week!" I shrieked. How could I have been asleep that long?

"Yes. Now do you see why I was worried?"

I gave a slight nod. "Derek, I need to talk to you and your dad. About something I saw while I was asleep."

"I'll get him. Go on down to the living room. I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too. Now, go on."

I nodded again and walked downstairs slowly. When I got there, I settled on the couch, curling up in a ball. I let my mind wander. I thought of Derek. I thought of Aunt Lauren. I thought of Dad. Those where the only people I couldn't stand to lose. It would kill me if I did. Of course, I still cared about everyone else and I didn't want them to die, but I couldn't lose Derek, Dad, or Aunt Lauren.

I hadn't noticed that Derek had walked into the room until I heard say my name and ask me what was wrong. "Why would you ask that?" I said.

"Uh. Because you're crying."

"I am?"

"Yeah," he said. His voice wreaked with concern. I took my hand and wiped below my eye.

"Huh, I guess I am."

"Why were you crying, Chloe?" Kit asked. I hadn't noticed he had entered the room.

"I was thinking about my dad and Aunt Lauren. I miss them. I want to rescue Aunt Lauren as fast as we can get to her. And then I want to go visit my dad. He still thinks I'm missing. If I'm gone much longer, he may call off the search and give up hope."

"We will go see him after this is all over. I promise," Derek said. I gave him a slight nod.

"Now what did you want to talk with us about?" Kit said.

"What happened when I was out. While I was in my coma, most of what I saw was just flashes of colors. Then towards the end before I woke up, two numbers started playing over and over again. The numbers where four and six. They kept playing over and over again until they formed an image. It was of the Edison Group Head Quarters. It was on fire. Rae was standing right in front of the building, causing the fire. Everyone else was off behind her. Simon, Derek, Lexly, and I were standing off to the side. Emma was healing you, Kit. Andrew was keeping watch with Liz and Tristyn. The Texans were standing off in a group away from everyone else and Aunt Lauren was tending to their wounds. Two people were missing. Jessie and Margaret. They were nowhere in sight… What could this mean? Is it some sort of sign or something?" I was crying again. Derek took me in his arms and held me there, until the tears subsided.

"Chloe? Are you sure you saw that?" It was Kit speaking again.

"Y-yes. Wh-what does it m-mean?"

"It's the final stand. Somehow, necromancers can see the ends of upcoming danger."

"What do you mean final stand?"

"You basically saw what will happen when we attack the Edison Group."

"What do the numbers mean then?"

"I am assuming that is the date."

"So if it's a four and a six, then that means April 6?"

"Yes. That leaves us almost 2 months. We are planning a raid in two weeks. At that time we will rescue your aunt and Rachelle. Then we will plan out how to finish them off."

"Okay…"

"Don't worry. We know we are going to win in the end. Everything will be fine, Chloe. You two may go if you want." We nodded and headed upstairs; his arm around my waist, he pulled me into his room and closed the door. We walked over to his bed and sat down. I couldn't feel anything or think at all. My mind was just a mess. I sat there in Derek's arms, mind blank. Nothing. I was entirely numb.

My numbness was broken by Derek's worry. "Chloe? Are you okay? You haven't said anything for the past hour." It had been an hour? Huh. Oh, well, you loose track of time when you aren't aware of anything.

"I just miss my dad and I'm w-worried about Aunt Lauren and Rae. I know w-we are going to be rescuing Aunt Lauren and Rae, but I'm still w-worried. W-we don't know what happened to them."

"Chloe. Everything will be fine. Now, I don't want you to worry yourself sick, so—" With that said, he planted a kiss on my lips. I gave him what he wanted; I kissed him back.

The kiss kept deepening. We had fallen backwards onto the bed. I was on the top. The kiss continued and not soon after, Derek's hands were trailing up my back, taking my shirt off. He was about to pull it all the way off when the door opened. "Derek? Chloe? Are you in—" It was Andrew. "Living room. Now. And both of you better be dressed." His voice had taken on an appalled tone. He couldn't believe we were going that far. Of course, it was kind of odd, considering we were still running for our lives and we had both almost lost the other… Instead of trying to come up with excuses, we just nodded reluctantly.

Andrew left, we stood. I adjusted my clothes and Derek adjusted his. When we finished, we walked to the living room. Inside was Kit and Andrew. Andrew look angrier than when he had found us. Kit looked amused. "Sit down, Chloe, Derek," Kit said. He even sounded amused. We did as we were told, hoping it would keep us out of a long lecture. "Now, from what Andrew tells me, you two were going all the way?" He said it as though it were a question. I blushed and turned away. Derek decided to answer, probably considering the fact that I would most likely stutter. "Kind of," he said. This time, he didn't object like back at Lyle House.

"Well, Derek, I know Chloe is your mate and she has excepted you… But we can't afford the Edison Group on us for something other than wanting to kill you. I expect you two to be responsible when doing matters of that sort. And I also expect you to keep your door locked when doing so. I don't really care about the matter, I just don't want any necromancer-werewolf grandchildren anytime soon. Derek, you may go about your business; I want to talk to Chloe for a minute," Kit said. _Wow. Coolest dad ever._ My mind was whirring with how easy we got off. At least Andrew didn't say anything, just sat there being angry. Derek nodded and left, leaving me behind to face Kit alone.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, hey, hey. Okay, so I have Chapter 11! This is going to have a lot of information in it. Warning: Drama is excessive. Lots of stuff is going to go wrong in this chapter if I remember correctly. I wrote this like, 3 weeks ago, just hadn't put it up.**

**I might not be able to update for a while. I am attempting to go from 7th grade to 9th grade in one year and skip 8th grade. If I pass all of the government required tests with flying colors, I will be able to be a Freshman at 13! So I have a ton of studying to do so I will be able to do that. I am also trying to convince my mom to let me buy these really cute black wedges from Wet Seal. And then my mom is also doing a craft show, so I have to cut out little toddler outfits for her to sew.**

**Disclaimer: If the writes for Kelley Armstrong's The Darkest Powers were for sale, I still wouldn't own it because I wouldn't have enough money. But IF I were able to afford it and bought it… Derek would be shirtless a lot more, Simon would back off, Andrew wouldn't be an ass, the Edison Group would make more attempts at killing them, Liz would be alive, and Diane and Margaret would be zombie slaves of Chloe's. I am evil, but I like it that way.**

**So to summarize my Disclaimer, I do not own The Darkest Powers, or any of the characters that aren't made by me (Tristyn, Rayon, Jessie, Ida/Leslie/Mary, Lexly, Lisa, and Emma). Now onto the story…**

* * *

"What do you need to talk about?" I said. He searched my eyes to make sure I could handle what ever he was about to tell me.

"Chloe? Have you seen Margaret around lately?" he asked. Hmm… Come to think about it, I haven't seen her. Usually she is bustling about somewhere trying to keep Liz and Tristyn in line.

"No. Where is she? Do you know?"

"Chloe, what I'm about to tell you is very tragic. Are you sure you want to know?" He seemed like he was unsure if he should say.

I gave him a nod. "I want to know."

"Chloe. Margaret died while you were in a coma. It appeared as a massive heart attack. But when we examined further, she was killed by a spell… An energy bolt… We believe it was Diane Enright… Chloe? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you're crying."

"I am?" I swiped my hand under my eye. Quiet, stealthy tears broke the barrier that my eyelashes made with out me knowing. "Oh. I'm fine. I guess it's just the shock. I guess we know why Margaret wasn't in my premonition…" I trailed off.

"Though it is good know that everything is a success, it is also sad that we have lost one already and another death to come," Andrew said. I nodded and said, "I'm going to find Derek. I'm sure he was listening in."

"Okay, bye, Chloe."

After my talk with Kit and Andrew about Margaret, I went through the door that Derek had walked through not so long ago. It was the kitchen door, and of course, I found Derek with a plate of food in front of him, a questioning look plastered upon his face. I walked over to him, stood behind him, and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. A gave him a quick peck on the cheek and mumbled what had happened in the other room. "How come you didn't tell me? Is her body nearby? Where did they find her dead?" I was now questioning him at top speed.

"Chloe. Chloe, calm down. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to be the one to break it to you. I figured that Dad and Andrew would be the better choice. Her body was found by Andrew. He went to buy food and found it on the side of the road. He examined it. Being a sorcerer, he knew she was killed by a witch's magic. The only witch we know that would torture someone until they got what they wanted, would be Mrs. Enright. Andrew called the police from a payphone at the store he went to and told them where to find it. The scene is being investigated and she is being identified. Andrew was able to get them to say what they believed it was. The only way that they would know otherwise is if they were a supernatural," Derek said. I guess I was crying, again, because he pulled me into his arms and began to rock me like a baby gently. After a while of me silently crying and Derek rocking me back and forth, I finally fell asleep. This was just a normal sleep. Though I was surprised that I could sleep since I was out for days on end.

Derek must have carried me into my room, because when I woke, I was in my room. I tried to sit up but was pinned down by a heavy object across my chest. Since I couldn't sit up, I settled for rolling over. I flipped over to the right and fell onto the floor with a loud thud. "Chloe? Are you okay?" Derek asked, looking over the edge.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I said getting up and laying back in the bed.

"Good."

"You know, if you are going to be spending the nights in my room, you should really contemplate just moving your stuff in here and pushing the two beds together. It will give us more room to sleep, and then you don't have to get dressed in one room and sleep in another."

"That sounds like a good idea. I'll talk to Dad, not Andrew, about moving my stuff in here in the morning. Right now, though, you are going back to sleep."

"What time is it?"

"About midnight. It was about 4:00 when you fell asleep."

"Wow. I'll go back to sleep on one condition."

"And what's that condition?"

"You move the other bed over here so we have more room to sleep."

"I can do that."

He got up from the bed and moved to the other side of the room. Grabbing the foot of the bed, he moved it over about halfway to the bed I currently lay in. Then he did the same with the head until the two beds where laid up against each other. He motioned for me to get up for a moment, which I did, and placed a larger blanket over top, tucking it in the edges of the matrices to keep the beds from spreading apart. I was still standing there when he told me to get in bed. When I didn't move, he swooped me up and placed me under the covers. Derek crawled in next to me, pulling me to his chest. I snuggled closer, using his arm as a pillow.

Morning came like a bat out of Hell. It only seemed like minutes before we began to smell breakfast wafting up the staircase. Derek and I rose from our bed. Yes, I said _our _bed. Derek was going to talk to Kit after we ate this morning about moving into my room, and I was glad. It would feel odd not to have him by me at night now since he has been for almost the past month. We greeted each other with a kiss and murmured good mornings; then we headed downstairs once we were dressed.

The kitchen was full. Everyone was there. Only two seats where left and Derek and I grabbed them before anyone else could. Breakfast hadn't been served, it just sat uneaten in the middle of the table. Tori cleared her throat and began to speak, "Since everyone is here today, for a change. I have decided that this meal we will say Grace. In honor of Margaret, even though she was a cow, and for the upcoming battle and break-in. Andrew, would you say Grace?" Andrew gave her a discreet nod and began saying Grace while everyone else bowed their heads in prayer. When he finished, Kit announced that we could eat. Everyone took their share of the enormous amount of food and twittered quietly amongst the people around them. Derek and I didn't say a word during the whole meal. But we did talk; only we talked with our eyes instead of words. _'What's Andrew talking about? He keeps shooting glances my way,"_ I said. _"He's talking to Dad about whether your dream is a good thing or a bad thing," _Derek responded._ "Are they coming to an agreement?" _said I. Derek then came back with, _"No. Dad keeps arguing that it's a good thing. Andrew says different." _I then decided moot point on that conversation. We moved on to simpler topics such as the bedroom situation.

When breakfast had finished, Derek went to talk to Kit and I wandered into the living room. Letting my mind wander, I thought about Mom. I hadn't seen her since, well, since before I was with Derek. My thoughts were about Mom. How much I missed her, how much I wished I could talk to her, how much I wanted to see her. My eyes had closed while I was lost in my train of thought. "Chloe?" I heard my name, but it could have been anyone or just me hearing things. I decided to ignore the voice. "Chloe, don't you ignore me." I know that voice. My mom was here.

"Hi, Mom. How have you been?" I said.

"How do you think I've been. Worried sick, that's how I've been. First you don't eat anything or do anything for days because you are scared of losing Derek if you left. Then you had been so worried and scared and sleep deprived, you laps into a coma yourself. Chloe, do you know how crazy you drove me when you wouldn't wake up. I had to have those two girls try to wake you for me. When they couldn't, I had Liz try to wake you. I'm surprised you didn't wake up when Derek cried. You were always a light sleeper—"

"Mom. Mom. Stop. Please. I know that you were worried and I'm sorry."

"Oh, Chloe. It's just, I worry. I worry because Steve, Derek, and even Kit and Simon would care if you died. I care about family Chloe. You may not be related to Kit and Simon, but being Derek's mate, technically, they are family."

"Mom. Just calm down. Now, is there a specific reason you came, or did you just come to see me?"

"You summoned me. When you summon, it is impossible not to answer the call," she said, taking a seat.

"I summoned you? How?" My voice was a squeak of worry. If I summoned her, it is possible I raised another corpse.

"Yes. You didn't know you summoned me?"

"No, I didn't. But I was thinking about you. Is it possible that I summoned you just by thinking?"

"I believe so."

Mom and I talked for quite awhile. She updated me on everything that happened while I was out. Apparently, Simon and Lexly where together. And Liz and Tristyn found out they were siblings via Edison Group. They shared the same dad but had different moms. It is rare for offspring of a demon to find their siblings, but it is possible; this time, they just happened to meet in death. Margaret had died, but I already knew that. Other than those major happenings, everything was normal.

I told her about my dream and what Kit said it meant. It must have been an hour before we were interrupted. Derek walked in and took a seat next to me with a kiss on my forehead and placing his arm over my shoulder. "Who are you talking to?" he asked.

"My mom. Did your dad say yes?"

"Yes, he did," he said. Then he added as an after thought, "Hi, Mrs. Saunders." My mom was still sitting on the other side of me. When she heard Derek's hello, she gave him a welcoming 'hello' in response and I relayed it. From there Mom and I went into another conversation while Derek just sat there playing with a few strands of my hair.

The topic now: Dad. How was he doing? Had Mom seen him in the past week? Where they still looking for me?

"Chloe, why don't you turn on the news. I believe you should see what they have," Mom said.

"Okay…" I said. _What could there possibly be? _I turned on the TV, already tuned to the news. In the top corner was a picture of me from last year. It was the same one published in the newspaper. The woman on the screen began to speak. _'There has been a new lead on the missing Saunders girl. Dr. Marcel Davidoff was taking a stroll in the woods near the outer edges of New York State when he came across a girl whom looked like Chloe Saunders. She was with a dark haired man about six-feet-seven-inches tall. Dr. Davidoff said that the man attacked him, then ran off with the girl. We go to Yvette Hayes with the story.' _The screen changed to show a woman standing with Dr. Davidoff. She then began to speak. _'Thanks, Rena. I am here with Dr. Marcel Davidoff to talk to him about his sighting of the missing Saunders girl. Dr. Davidoff, where exactly where you when you spotted her?' _Davidoff responded to her question with the exact location of the clearing in the forest behind the safe-house. _'And can you give us a description of little Chloe?' _Davidoff gave a coy smile and responded, _'I can. She was about five-feet in height. Had shoulder length strawberry blonde hair with a tinge of gray, most likely from hair dye. Big blue eyes. She and a tall, dark haired man were in a clearing. The man was approximately six-feet-seven-inches and had green eyes. I believe that he was Derek Souza. He was one of the boys that was at Lyle House with her. He is also one of the four missing teens from Lyle House.' _Dr. Davidoff then turned to the camera and with a smile he mouthed "I know you're watching, Chloe, Derek, Simon, Tori."

I heard Derek mumble out a sting of profanity before calling for Kit and Andrew to come downstairs. We heard pounding footfalls coming from upstairs and then Kit and Andrew were standing in the door way, eyes wide from seeing what was on the screen. Derek had rewound it to show the entire report. "This is not good. This is not good," mumble Kit. "They don't know the exact location of the safe-house, but they know the general area. Andrew, get Simon, Tori, Jesse, and Rayon. We're going to need to put a invisibility spell on the house. And we'll need all the power we can get."

With that, Andrew ran upstairs to get the others. "Chloe, Derek, why don't you two go stay in your room. We are going to have to keep you inside now that the Edison Group knows where you are," Kit said.

"What about Derek's Changes?" I asked.

"When that comes about, we will have to figure something out. A new place will have to be found for that. Now go to your room. Once the spell is success, I will come get you for lunch."

We nodded and walked upstairs to the room we now shared. Well, I wasn't really walking. Derek carried me bridal style up to our room. As we entered, he placed me on the bed and turned to close the door. After he did, he crawled into bed with me and we just talked about random thing. We did our best to keep our mind off the present situation and we did pretty well. Soon enough, I let out a yawn. "You're tired. I don't know how, but you need sleep. Go to bed. I'll be right here," Derek whispered.

"I will on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You go to sleep, too. I know you get less sleep than me. You worry too much about me and stay awake to watch out for me. Once you finally fall asleep, it is really early and you are woken by me. Go to sleep and I will, too."

"All right. Sleep well, Chlo."

"Sleep well, Derek." And with that, I snuggled into his chest and fell asleep.

A knock on the door woke us up. "Chloe, Derek?" It was Kit. We called back with a feeble, "Yeah?" He told us lunch was ready and we should come and eat. We told him that we would be down in a minute.

"So… Do you want to go eat?" I asked. As if on cue, Derek's stomach growled.

"You know it," he mumbled, giving me a kiss on my forehead. He snaked his arm around my waist and led me to where the food was.

Lexly was at the stove again. She was cooking more food and there was already a table full. Some how, right when we took our seats at the table, Lexly turned around with a platter of food in her hands to place on the table. I took a second to glance her over. Her red hair was a mess and tangled. She hadn't put on anything bright. She was wearing a lacy black dress that hung down to her ankles. Instead of her normal 5 inch heels, she wore a pair of black, gothic style boots. She wasn't wearing makeup and you could see dark half-moons under her eyes. Her face was tear streaked. I had to figure out what was wrong. "Lexly, what's the matter?" I asked.

"Lisa is missing. We were in our room last night, staying up late, partying, listening to GEBULAR*. We didn't get to bed until about 4:00 A.M. and we both fell asleep in a matter of minutes. When we woke up at noon, she was gone. I searched for her everywhere. I have no clue where she is…" at that, Lexly broke into tears. I hadn't noticed that neither of the sisters were at breakfast, because, well, they usually weren't. I didn't realize that Lisa wasn't here again. I took a quick look at everyone eating. Everyone was here except for Lisa and the recently late Margaret.

"You have no idea what could have happened to her?" Derek asked.

"No. I don't. But I think it was Feria Hensley. She was this witch back at our school in Columbus. She has always hated Lisa. And one day, Feria attacked her. In self defense, Lisa raised several zombies to attack Feria. She has a reason to take Lisa. Feria has been trying to kill Lisa since. And I don't believe it was the Edison Group. If it was, they would have taken me and possibly the rest of the household. I want my sister back." Lexly broke out crying again, but this time, instead of staying, she ran upstairs to who knows where. I was about to break into a run after her, I didn't really feel like eating now, but Derek caught me before I could leave the kitchen.

"You need to eat," he said.

"I'm not hungry," I said. But in defiance, my stomach growled.

"Yes, you are. Now eat. Lexly will be fine. She is upstairs in her room, crying."

"Fine."

I sat back down and made myself a plate. It wasn't as much as what I normally ate. I only had a baked potato with just butter on it. My appetite had depleted since finding out Lisa was missing, kidnapped if you will. By time everyone cleared out of the kitchen, my plate was only half empty and I was sitting there staring at it. I felt arms snake around my shoulders and it made me feel safe. A tear dripped from my eye and I felt it be brushed away gently. "Derek, I'm scared," I whispered, knowing it was him. His lips moved to my ear and he whispered, "I know, Chlo. I'm scared, too."

"Derek Souza, the fearless werewolf, is scared? Wow, I've made you go soft."

"I'm not soft. I'm scared of something going wrong. That something will happen to you. I couldn't take it if something happened to you. I'm scared of something going wrong because that means something could happen to you. Almost everything has gone wrong. The only thing that went right was what happened with you and me. Us."

"I know that. I was being sarcastic. I know everything has gone wrong. And I'm glad something finally went right. I'm glad I have you."

"I'm glad I have you, too." He began to pepper kisses along my jaw line. I let out a giggle when he nibbled on the lobe of my ear. I turned around to face him and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"I love you, Derek Souza," I murmured against his lips. He gave me a peck on the lips and whispered, "I love you, Chloe Saunders," against my lips.

He pulled back away and rested his forehead against mine. We stared soulfully into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever. Then, all too soon, our little world was broken by Tori shouting for me to come upstairs. I did as she asked and retreated upstairs. Tori was standing at the top of the staircase as I walked up. "What's up?" I said.

* * *

***GEBULAR: An awesome band out of Aberdeen, Washington that I love to listen to. They are really cool. If you want to listen to them, here is a link to their myspace where you can listen to them there. ****.com/gebularmusic**

* * *

**Hmm… What's gonna happen next? What does Tori has in store for Chloe? And what happened to Lisa? What's going to happen now that the Edison Group is tracking them down? All will be revealed in the next chapter. Well, most of it. Anyway, I felt bored not coming home to an empty Inbox. So I decided to update. I hope you like the chapter. Review please.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey. Sorry this is a little late. I wanted to post this on Friday, but I was working on **_**In The End**_**. This chapter is a little short. I kinda have writer's block so I might not be able to update a lot. I am also really busy, so I don't have as much time to write. Now, since I don't own The Darkest Powers, am not Kelley Armstrong, and I don't own Derek (Though I wish I do), on to the story…**

"Chloe, Lisa is in my room, but she won't say or do anything. Come help me take her to Lexly because I can't get her out of her room to help me."

"Okay…"

"Just come on." Tori grabbed my wrist and dragged me to her room. The door was open and Lisa crouched in a fetal position on the floor in the middle of the room. I timidly walked over to her. When I stepped into the room, she had started rocking back and forth.

"Lisa?" I said. "Lisa, are you okay?" I vaguely saw her shake her head. "Lisa, what happened?" Words didn't come out of her mouth, but she mouthed, "Feria."

"Tori, go get Andrew and Kit. They will need to know this. I'll call Derek and he can take her to the library." Tori nodded and sprinted out the door. "Lisa, we're going to get you help. Andrew and Kit will meet us in the library and they'll tell us what to do." She feebly nodded and I called Derek upstairs.

When he got to Tori's room and saw Lisa on the floor, he immediately picked her up and carried her to the library with me and Tori trailing. Placing her on the table, Derek retreated to the back of the room and watched as Kit and Andrew examined Lisa. Lexly raced to her side and held her hand. I walked over to Derek and stood next to him as he wrapped his arms around my shoulder. Everyone else gathered in the room to make sure she was okay.

After a hour of watching Lisa be examined, my stomach began to rumble. "You're hungry," Derek said. "Come on, let's go get something to eat." He started to pull me to the door and when he reached it, he called out, "We're going to get something to eat and then we'll be back." They didn't say anything, just kept on trying to figure out what was wrong with her.

Derek led me to the kitchen where he pulled out some leftovers from last night's supper. He heated them in the oven, there was so much that the microwave would give out. When Derek said they were warm enough to eat, he pulled them out, turned off the oven, and served me and himself. I had taken a seat a little while back and just stared at the plate in front me. "You need to eat," Derek said. When I didn't respond, he started to get agitated. "Chloe? Eat."

"I don't feel like eating. I am worried about Lisa," I whispered.

"Chloe, please eat. I'm worried about her, too. Trust me. If Lisa ends up dieing, Lexly will most likely commit suicide. I already talked to Dad and Andrew. I heard Lexly talking to someone or herself about killing herself. If you commits suicide, imagine Simon's dismay. He is head over heals for her. And then you are going to get sick because you aren't eating because you are worrying to much."

I picked up my fork and started to take small bites. "That's better," Derek mumbled.

"I heard that," I said, putting down my fork.

"I know you did. Now eat."

I heaved a sigh and went back to my meal.

It had taken me almost a half hour to eat half of what was on the plate in front of me. I kept worrying about Lisa. And hoping that she would come out of this. Derek finally gave up on getting me to eat what I had left and decided to let me check on Lisa. I easily found her. Her and Lexly's door was wide open, music blaring, lights off. I could see the outline of both of the sisters' faces from the glow of the video games they were playing. Rapping on the doorframe, I asked if I could come in. They nodded and I entered with Derek trailing behind me.

"What happened?" I asked. I didn't want to be blunt, but I figured blunt was better than me stuttering.

"Lisa was kidnapped by Feria. Feria cast a few torture spells on Lisa trying to get Lisa to off herself. When nothing happened, Feria took Lisa back to where she found her and ran off," Lisa responded, talking in third person.

"Uh… Okay… Lexly, you care to explain better?" I said.

"Basically, Feria took Lisa and tortured her until Lisa committed suicide. When Feria realized that that hope was a loss, she decided to give up and bring Lisa back," Lexly said.

"Oh… You told Andrew the full version, right?"

"Yes. Leslie tells me that you only came to check on Lisa, so you may go now."

"Okay. I'll see you at supper, then?"

"Of course."

I left then. I could tell that Lisa had something wrong with her. I didn't want to push further because I knew it would upset Lexly. My train of thought was interrupted. "Hi, Chloe!" shouted Tristyn. He ran right up in front of my face, causing me to jump. Derek steadied me before I fell and then released me, only keeping one arm around my waist.

"Hi, Tristyn. Where's Liz?" I said. Derek, noticing that we had company, gave a mumbled 'hello.'

"She's checking on her family. Did you hear we are brother and sister?"

"Yes, I did. How did you find out?"

"It was really quite simple. Our demon dad was killed in an exorcism. Me and Liz were walking around and he comes out of no where. Then he recognizes us, well, because we look like our mothers. The only thing we got from him were our powers. Then he explains that we are related."

"Cool. Well, me and Derek are going to go now."

"All right. Bye, Chloe!"

I waved to Tristyn and he faded out. I gave a sigh of relief knowing that we hopefully wouldn't be bothered anymore. But those hopes were shattered. Simon yelled for Derek at the same time that Rayon yelled for me.

Derek and I were reluctant to go. I wanted to spend a quiet afternoon in my room cuddled into Derek's chest. And apparently, he did, too. But now, we couldn't. I walked to where I heard Rayon yell.


	13. Chapter 13

**Ello. Okay. I have a new chapter for you. This one is a lot of dialog. And there is some shocking factors in here. **

**I've been wondering if anyone seems OOC. I just feel like I have made them my own and they aren't the original person they were. And I really want to keep the factor alive. So, could you tell me if anyone does?**

**I'm in a good mood right now and I am writing like crazy because my new heels came in. So if I finish the next chapter, and I'm already half finished with it, you might get another one. And music determines how good I write, too. I am listening to Ke$ha's **_**Backstabber**_** and it is a really good and puts me in a good mood so, you never know. If I change it, it will be upbeat and stuff so I can write faster. It also has to do how I learned to type to the beat, so I type to the speed of the music sometimes.**

**Anyway…**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not **_**Backstabber**_** by Ke$ha, The Darkest Powers Series by Kelley Armstrong. But I do own these really cute black five-and-a-half inch wedges from Wet Seal that just came in today. ****J**** ( cool! I got an emoticon to work in Microsoft Works Word!)**

She was in the library pacing back and forth, head down. "Rayon?" I said. Her head snapped up at my voice.

"Chloe," she sighed in relief. "You have a healthy relationship right?"

"Yeah…"

"I need some advice."

"Like, relationship advice? 'Cause I'm not very good at that."

"Yes, but you are the only one with a good relationship. And I bet you, Simon is asking Derek this kind of stuff now."

"Might I ask, who is this relationship with?"

"You know who. You don't even need to ask."

"Do I really?"

"Fine, if you honestly don't know: Jessie."

"Well, I can't really help you there. Why don't you ask Tori? She is better at this kind of stuff. And I'm sure she has had more than one boyfriend. I'll only ever have one."

"Fine." Rayon grumbled a little more, then yelled, "Tori!"

I heard a muffled thump and then a groan followed by a yelled, "What?!" from Tori. I slipped out of the room then. _I sooo don't want to get in the middle of this. _I shuffled my feet quietly to my room with my head down. Opening the door, I kept my head down. I was vaguely aware of someone else in the room. Whether it was a ghost or a living person, I didn't know. I shuffled over to my bed and sat down. It was higher what it used to be, and when I heard the slight _'Oomph' _of a living person, I knew I was sitting on someone. I got up quickly, and mumbled an apology. But the question was: Who was in my bed?

I started to walk over to the other bed, an arm snaked around my waist. "Where do you think you're going, cutie?" a gruff voice said. I started to scream, but a hand cut me off. "That wouldn't be a good idea. You wouldn't want your boyfriend to think something is wrong and get himself killed, now would you?"

I bit down on his hand and yelled, "Derek! Anybody! Help!" I squirmed out of his grasp, Liam was frozen in a binding spell. Where it came from, I have no clue. It couldn't have been a second after before the door burst open, Derek charging into Liam and Tori pulling me off to the side as she prepared a spell for when she had clear view of Liam.

All I saw was blood splattering my room, furniture breaking. I knew that most of the blood was Derek's. The grunts and gasps that I heard were mostly Derek's, like last time they fought. Every time I whimpered, Derek would stop to make sure I was okay, causing him more pain. "Tori, help him!" I cried out. Then I noticed she wasn't even in the room.

I heard pounding footfalls in the hall and rushed to see who it was. It was Andrew, Simon, and Tori. I returned to where I was before, out of reach of Liam. Derek and Liam flew to opposite sides of the room. Andrew was in the doorway, hands ready for another knock back spell. Liam began to rise but froze. Another binding spell. Derek moaned and I ran to his side.

"Derek?" I whispered.

No response. "Derek? Are you okay?" I said a little louder.

He let out a small moan which sounded oddly like my name, but it was too indistinguishable. "Simon?" I called. "Help me move Derek."

Simon sprinted over and helped me pull Derek to his feet. "Where do you want to take him?" Simon asked.

"Well, obviously, our room is a disaster; so that isn't a good choice. Is there another open room that is open?"

"The one next to the bathroom is open. Has a pretty big bed from what I've seen."

Simon helped me take Derek to the new bedroom that Derek and I would be occupying. We laid him on the bed and Simon went to go find Emma. She would be pissed, but Derek was injured badly and he—no we needed her powers again. I laid next to Derek, position so I wouldn't cause him pain, but close enough that he wouldn't think I was scared of him. I wasn't scared of him, I was scared for him.

When Simon returned, he didn't have Emma. When he saw the look on my face, he put his hands up in defense. "She wouldn't come. And when I tried to bring her involuntarily, Rayon blew up at me," Simon said. "Sorry. I know you're worried. I am, too. But he'll pull through." And then he left. Just left.

I hope Simon is right. Derek was now having trouble breathing. He couldn't talk. I didn't know if he was in serious trouble or not. Kit had checked him out since Andrew was busy with… with... I couldn't even think the name. He had a few bruised ribs and he was banged up pretty bad, but it was no worse than last time. The only difference, he wouldn't talk and assure me he was okay. Everyone who came to check and see how he was doing kept assuring me he would be fine, but I wouldn't believe them until he told me himself.

Now I barely curled up into Derek's side. I didn't want to hurt him, so I kept a little distance. A betraying, silent tears slid down my face every now and then until I finally fell asleep.

I was awaken by a kiss. I knew Derek had to be awake. Either that or some sick bastard was really low. My eyes flew open with a snap and were met by a sea of green. I knew those eyes. Derek's eyes. "Morning, beautiful," he murmured. I leaned up for another kiss and he met me in the middle.

Breaking apart for breath, I tried to sit up but was pinned down. When Derek noticed I was squirming, he rolled off of me with a mumbled 'sorry.'

"It's okay. I didn't mind. I just figured this—" I gave him another kiss "—would be easier sitting up," I said. He let out a laugh. A real laugh. Not the slight chuckle he gives every so often. It was a deep, lyrical laugh that made me want to melt. "You know I love you, right?" I mumbled.

"Why wouldn't you?"

"I don't know. But just so you know, I love you."

"I love you, too."

I leaned in and rested my head on his chest. His arms, wrapped around me, gave me a light squeeze. I snuggled closer. Then remembered his ribs. I tried to pull away, but he just pulled me closer. "What about your ribs? Your dad said they were bruised," I said.

"They are perfectly fine. I heal fast and you remember how fast I healed last time," he responded. I remembered how during the time that he cleaned me up in the bathroom that first encounter with Liam and Ramon, he was already healing. Then another thought hit me. What happened to Liam?

"D-Derek? W-What happened to L-Liam?"

"Don't worry 'bout him, love. Andrew took care of him," Derek said. He was trying to calm me; his voice a soothing murmur. My stutter was an instant stress meter and he knew that I was worried.

"W-What do y-y-you mean 'Andrew took care of him'?"

"I don't know what exactly he did. He wouldn't tell me. I even asked Ida. She had no clue. No body knows what he did with him. Not even Dad."

"Andrew wouldn't tell your dad?"

"He wouldn't tell a soul. I find it kind of suspicious, but we have to trust him to make sure that he took care of Liam properly."

"And what—" Derek cut me off by quickly laying us back down and rolling on top of me. He took my one hand, intertwining his fingers with mine and raising it to his lips. He kissed the back of my hand and brought it back down to our sides, still laced with his own.

"I think with the time of day it is, we should get dressed and head downstairs. Our clothes are still in the other room, but they cleaned the blood off of the floor and dresser and closet doors. I'll transfer them if you don't want to see the mess." Derek still had me pinned underneath him and I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Do I have to move? I rather comfortable and I like where I am located."

"Chloe…" He let out a slight growl, letting me know that wasn't acceptable.

"What? You don't like me near you?" I was getting worried. _What if… _I couldn't even think about what the possibilities could be.

"No, Chlo. It's not that I don't like you near me; I love you near me. But, we've already got Andrew watching almost our every movement. And trust me, he didn't like Dad letting us off so easily. Dad is that way. But Andrew isn't. Him and Dad argued over the subject for a good hour afterwards about it. Dad won, as always. But Andrew still thinks that we would be like that. For all I know, he bugged the room while we were out. Highly doubtful, but you never know."

I sighed a deep sigh, "Andrew just needs to get that pole out his ass and learn that the way we act is no different than any normal teenage couple."

He laughed again. It relaxed me this time. Knowing he was happy, it was amazing. I knew he was always happy around me, but this is a new level of happiness I wouldn't have thought Derek could have gotten to. I lifted my head for a kiss. My lips met his in a chaste kiss. It was one of the most loving and caring moments that happened between us. Almost every kiss we shared was either aggressive or needy. Right now, it was gentle, soft.

It was now late in the afternoon. Derek and I had avoided everyone near us unless they came to us. Lexly and Lisa walked by with a 'hello.' Kit wanted to make sure Derek was okay. And other than them, no body came up to us and we avoided rooms with people. I think most of the day we were in the hallway, running from anyone we saw. And now… Now we were apart for what is the first time today. We were afraid of losing one another, especially after everything that has been happening. Derek was in the shower, and I was lying in our bed waiting for him to get out.

My mind started to wander. Questions were running through my head at a fast rate, but one decided to rest right in the middle of my train of thought. _What happened to Liam? _A very good question. My mind started to think about him. Where did he live before? Did he have a family? A girlfriend? And if he did, what happened to them? Why was he attacking us?

A voice woke me from my questioning. "What the fuck?" I heard. It was obviously male. The Texas drawl registered in my brain. Liam. I looked up. Then he noticed me. "Well, well. If it isn't my lucky day, Lord help me. I'm just in time, aren't I? Maybe we can have some fun before your boyfriend comes back, cutie."

_How did he get here? _I thought that Andrew took care of him… Oh, no. He's dead. I was thinking about him and accidentally summoned him. _Wait, if he's dead, where is the body? _No where near here, I hope. Don't want to risk raising him. _Got that right._ "N-Not possible," I said, my voice wavering just slightly.

"Oh, really. And why's that?" He started to climb, no crawl onto the bed towards me.

"You're dead."

"Oh, really?" He was now in my face. I had heard the shower turn off a little bit ago so Derek should come through the door soon. And right on time, a shirtless Derek opened the door, still toweling off his hair.

"Who are you talking to?" he said, looking around the room and finding nothing.

"What do you mean, pup? I'm right here, seducing cutie over here," Liam said, turning his head to look at him.

"Liam's ghost, Der," I said.

"Ghost!?" Liam shouted so loud I had to cover my ears.

"Just banish him, love. He can't hurt you and you don't have to deal with him. How'd he even get here?" Derek spoke as he walked over to the bed, tossing the towel aside and coming to lay next to me.

"_What does he mean, 'banish' me? I'm not dead." _Liam was talking in the background yelling questions and trying to prove he wasn't dead by what he was saying.

"He doesn't believe it. Should I prove it to him?" I said. "I don't want to banish someone who doesn't think they are."

"Go ahead. I'm not going anywhere. And if he tries to hurt you, mentally or physically, I will be right there by your side." Derek's voice had taken on a soft demeanor. _He's so sweet._ My inner voice was cooing. It was giving me some thoughts that I didn't want to think about at the moment. Most of them were kind of… Oh, how do I put this? Sexual?

I got out of the bed and padded to Liam. He stood there wondering what I was doing. When I was close enough, I timidly reached out and placed my hand through his stomach. He looked down at what I was doing then let out a string of profanity. "Guess I should believe you more, cutie. But that still doesn't mean I'm leaving," he chuckled at that.

"Oh, you will leave. Maybe not willingly, but I can make you leave." I closed my eyes and concentrated. Giving him a huge shove, I heard him let out a string of profanity as he flew backwards. Finally, he cut off and all was quiet. I turned and went back to Derek. I then curled up against his chest and mumbled, "He's gone. And I don't think he will be coming back soon."

Derek started stroking my hair as I lay across his chest. He hummed _Daydream Believer_ under his breath like on the bus on our way to Andrew's after we first encountered Liam and Ramon. It didn't take me long before I fell asleep to Derek's deep, soft murmur of _Daydream Believer_.


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, here's Chapter 14. It's really short because, well, it's wrapping up in a couple of chapters. But not to worry! I have a sequel that has, I think, five chapters. The next chapter will hopefully be up tonight. But I have to go do the laundry right now, so I don't know how much I will get done. Now, since I'm not Kelley Armstrong and I don't own Darkest Powers, on to the chapter.**

Nightmares filled my sleeping mind. I knew Derek was there with me, but tonight it was no help. They came running in like Mustangs and leaving like a sloth. The one that stayed the longest was the worst.

_All around me was black. I couldn't see a thing. Then out of nowhere, an image flickered to her right. She looked over. It was a small blond girl. She had brown eyes and her straight hair went down to her mid-back. She looked oddly familiar. A woman with brown hair and brown eyes came up behind her. Both their faces where tear streaked. Now a full blown scene was around me. Police tape squared off an area off to the side of a highway. "Daddy," the little girl cried. I looked to the side. Inside the police tape, was a body. Not just any body. Liam's body. It just laid there. I knew now. The little girl was Liam's. Liam had a family. He was a father and a husband. I started to cry then. I was sure that I wouldn't be seen for it was dark and I was in the distance._

I shot up in bed, tears streaking my face. Derek's arms were around me, causing me to pull him up with me. He was out of it for a minute before noticing the tears in my eyes. "Chloe? What's wrong, love?" he whispered. I could only shake my head, dismissing it until I could talk. I had read a necromancer manuscript saying that, if their powers where strong enough, they could see what happened to some. It usually started with a black room then began to take form. Just like my recent nightmare. I saw where Liam's body was located and what happened to his family. What I couldn't figure is why he wanted to 'have fun' with me when he had a wife, a daughter. Maybe he was bored. Too far from home and I seemed vulnerable enough.

Finally, I was able to speak. "L-Liam. H-He had a f-f-family. A wi-wife and daugh-daughter. It was one of those vision things that I read about. His body was found. And they were there. Crying. I don't know if he was playing along with someone or if he was crazy or if he usually had affairs and his five didn't know or if he is a serial rapist where he is at, but they looked so upset. They loved him whether he loved them or not." My voice wavered at first, but became steadier than before.

"Don't cry, okay? Do you want to tell me what happened?" I gave him a slight nod then went over every aspect of what happened. When I finished, he pulled me tighter into his chest. "Do you want to contact them when we can? They need to know how he died. A human M.E. is just going to misinterpret it for something else. Not sure what, but at least if they know. We won't tell them it was Andrew. But we will let them know that he was murdered by a sorcerer. And we would have to make sure that she doesn't tell anyone. But considering she was married to, and had a child with a werewolf, I'm sure she knows the rules," Derek said.

"When it's safe and I see my dad, then we can go find her. They were somewhere in Texas. Maybe Austin… I'm not sure. But we can't for a long, long time…" I trailed off. Talking about Dad made me go teary eyed again. I knew he was still worried and now that he knows where I'm at but can't find me, he is going to be even more scared.

"You okay?" Derek's voice was barely a whisper.

"Yeah. Just thinking about my dad again. I really want to see him. After this raid, I want to go see him."

"We will. The raid is in a couple of days. We will do what we can to get your aunt and Rae out of there. And then we will go see your dad."

"I know."

"Now, why don't you go back to bed now? It's still really late. I just fell asleep an hour ago, which was 10:00." That late? Early? What ever it was considered? Wow.

"Mmh-hmm." I was feeling tired, now that I thought about it. I laid back down and snuggled into Derek's chest. He wrapped his arms around me and we fell asleep once again.

**Okay, again, sorry it was short. The next chapter will probably finish it off. And it will be the first attack on the Edison Group. For those of you who aren't getting most of the questions, they will be answered. If not in this chapter or the next, they will in the sequel. Sorry for the shortness. Next chapter might be up tonight.**


	15. Chapter 15

**The final chapter is amongst us. I know it is ending so soon, but don't worry, I have a sequel that I have to edit and will be posted tomorrow. This chapter takes off the day of the raid, so this will pretty well finish up the story. It is a really long chapter for a really great finale. I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: *setting: Talking to Rae, trying to convince her the Edison Group is evil.***

**Me: Rachelle, you have to understand. They killed Liz, Brady, and Amber.**

**Rae: And you know this, how?**

**Me: Because Chloe contacted their ghosts!**

**Rae: Uh-huh. If Chloe contacted their ghosts, then you wouldn't own the Darkest Powers series.**

**Me: I don't own the Darkest Powers series. So, ha! I just proved you wrong!**

**Rae: Whatever. Just finish the story.**

Today was the day. The day we would rescue Aunt Lauren and Rae. We had all our plans ready. We were going to go in and be as quiet as possible. I would get us into Dr. Davidoff's office so Tori could download the files from his computer. Then when she had them, we would take out the guard in the security room to find where Aunt Lauren and Rae were. We had to keep in mind that some of the rooms didn't have cameras in them, so even if we don't find them on a screen, we would still have to walk the halls and go room to room. The bonus side to the second option, was if there was others here, we could save them.

Now we were on the long ride to Buffalo. I was in the back with Derek, Simon, and Tori. I was sitting on Derek's lap, of course. Lexly and Lisa were in the seats in front of us. Kit and Andrew in the very front seats. Everyone else was stored in the back of the van we had gathered from the Edison Group that night at Andrews. Tristyn would be watching the safe-house while we were gone and Liz was away, visiting her family.

It was quiet all the way there. And now the ride was coming to an end. We were pulling off to the side about a mile from the EGHQ. From here, we would walk. And so the long, torturous walk began. I stayed glued to Derek's side, and I would through the whole thing.

The building was in view now. My heart raced faster the closer we got. Now we were fixing to enter. We had to rely on Tori and Rayon's blur spells to keep us hidden when we got inside. We were covered head to toe in a blur spell and everyone was ready in case something went wrong. Stepping through the door way was the hardest part for everyone. Entering the building was one of the scariest moments of my life.

It seemed like everything was going to go uneventful. For now. I opened the door to Aunt Lauren's cell, and there she was, sitting at a small desk writing something. "Aunt Lauren?" I whispered. Her head lifted slightly and she turned slowly. When she saw me, she leapt from the chair she was in and ran forward, pulling me into a tight embrace. "Chloe! Oh, thank God. You got away. But what are you doing here?" She whispered in my ear.

"We came to get you out of here. You're coming with us."

She nodded and joined our group in the journey to find Rae. She knew which cell we needed so she took the lead. We quietly stepped to that room. When we opened the door, we knew right away something was wrong. I turned slowly, checking to make sure no one was coming. When I saw no body, I went into Rae's "room." She was laying in her bed listening to an iPod. I remembered how she didn't have one at Lyle House. They must have bought it for her. Just like they decked out the "gaming" room. I approached the bed cautiously.

_She has probably been training. Don't mess with her._

That's true. She probably has been training. And if she angers, how do we know that she won't burn us alive? Now at the edge of the bed, I could hear her music through her headphones. I reached for her shoulder, sure she couldn't hear me if I called her name. Rae flew out of her bed. Poised for a battle. I didn't even touch her and she was defensive. Her iPod lay forgotten on the bed, still playing. When she noticed me, she relaxed. "Chloe?" she said.

"Keep it down, Rae. You need to come with us," I whispered.

"Why?" She was getting louder.

"I said to keep it down. You're in danger. Come on, we need to get out of here."

"How are we in danger, Chloe? This is the safest place for us. Why won't you stay here?"

"Rae! Shut the hell up! They'll hear and then all of us will be dead!" I whisper-yelled.

"They won't hurt us. And I won't shut up." She was practically yelling now.

I motioned for Derek to come into the room and grab Rae. He came in and widely went around to come up behind her. When he did, he placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream and the other arm went around her waist. He hoisted her over his shoulder, hand still keeping her from screaming. "Come on. They heard. And they're coming," Derek said.

We had just got out of the door when we saw Jessie battling with Mrs. Enright down the hall. I heard Rayon yell for him to come on, but before the words got out her mouth, Jessie went down. "Jessie!" Rayon yelled. She ran up to Mrs. Enright and locked her in a binding spell. She leaned over Jessie and tried to get him to get up, but it wasn't long before he was gone. His ghost appeared standing over his body. He waved and told us to take his body back to his parents and to tell Rayon he loved her. I relayed the message and pulled Rayon away from Jessie to get her out of the building. Simon and Kit grabbed Jessie's body to carry it off. When we got outside, I noticed we were missing Tori.

"Where's Tori?" I said worriedly. I couldn't lose a friend. I know she would come visit me and hang around like Liz, but I just couldn't lose another person to those people.

"Battling her mother," said Liz. I didn't know she had shown up.

"Is she okay?"

"She was when I saw her."

"Go make sure she is okay." Just then, Tori ran from the building. "Never mind, Liz." Behind Tori came Mrs. Enright. But all I could hear were Tori's foot falls as she ran. Mrs. Enright's were unheard. She was dead.

Tori ran straight to me and collapsed on me. It was hard to hold her up, but I managed. "Tori, are you okay?" I said to her.

"Other than the fact I just killed my mother, I'm unharmed," she said breathlessly.

I held her up until she could stand on her own, then I started heading towards the van. We all piled in. Jessie's body lay in the back with Rayon and the Texans. Is that what their faith is? If a powerful necromancer sees a vision and their not in it and they are supposed to be, they die. We had already decided that two would stay behind. And that was Lisa and Tori. They would stay at the safe-house while we 'cut off the head so the body will die' as Lexly had put it.

With the extra people riding in the van, we had to make more room. Lexly and Lisa shared a seat in the row they were in before. I sat on Derek's lap again. Simon and Tori next to us. And they held Rae in place while we rode back to the safe-house.

The drive to the safe-house was slow. I got kicked a few times by Rae struggling. And finally Tori put her in a binding spell. I eventually fell asleep in Derek's arms and didn't wake until we arrived. Derek gently took me out of the van and set me on my feet. He then pulled Rae out and set her in front of me. Once that was done, he took Jessie's body inside so Rayon could prepare to take it back to his parents. They would be traveling via portal so they could get there and back. All that would happen is she would place his body on their porch and ring the bell as she left.

I turned to Rae. She was standing there, a furious expression on her face. "Rae? Please understand they would have killed you like they killed Liz and Brady. We only took you to keep you safe," I said pleadingly.

"You think I was in danger!? They treated me wonderful, Chloe! I wasn't forgotten there! I love it there! And you think I was in danger!?" She was yelling. I even swore I heard Derek mumble 'Ow' as he came out of the house and over to me.

"You were in danger there," Derek said as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Oh, really? And you expect me to believe you? You are the one who is lying to her. You and Simon have brainwashed her by telling her this conspiracy theory crap. Well, you aren't the genius you think you are. Dr. D tells the truth and nothing but the truth," she yelled at Derek. After she got that out, she told us that we could never get her to leave and she was going back. She then turned on her heels and ran into the woods towards Buffalo.

"We should go after her, but she won't listen," I mumbled as I turned to Derek.

"She won't know the way here if she goes back. It is probably better if she goes back. From the way it looks, as long as she is cooperative, they won't kill her," he said.

"I know."

"Do you want to go pack your stuff? You, me, Dad, Simon, and Tori are leaving for your dad's tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Then, come on!" Dad would finally know I'm okay. I could relax for a while.

Derek and I walked upstairs to pack our stuff, completely at ease now that we were somewhat safe. Tomorrow would be a better day.

**THE END. LOL. Not really. I have the first few chapters of the sequel finished. I just have to edit some key points in it. The title will be **_**The Last Stand**_**.**

**Okay, it wasn't really long, but it is still a great chapter.**

**The questions that weren't answered will be answered in it. If I feel like it, I might get the first chapter to you tonight. But more than likely it will be tomorrow. Thanks for reading and look for **_**The Last Stand**_** April 2010. LOL. Review please. I would love to know what you think. And remember, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all.**

**~Macaela**


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